RWBY reads Professor Arc
by MrFoxHoundSir
Summary: Story done with the permission of Coeur Al'Aran. Deciding to take a small break from reading Death March RWBY and JNPR browse the bookshelf to find something else to read. In their search, they find a book with a curious title.
1. Reading chapter 1

So this is the beginning of RWBY Reads Professor Arc. Before we begin I would like to state that I will most likely not include more characters to read alongside Team RWBY and Team JNPR. However, that is only in the long term. Considering how involved a multitude of characters gets within Coeur Al'Aran's stories I might have to work in visitations from other characters who stop by for a chapter or two before heading out.

For example, Glynda might appear for a chapter or two before heading out to grade some papers. She might return at a later chapter or she may not, I'm not sure how I want to handle that part so far.

* * *

(BREAK)

Fox coughed once in order to gain the two teams' attention "Well it's all well and good if we have decided on what to read. But because this was unplanned initially I'm suddenly aware that I'd be keeping you with me a lot longer than anticipated." That said he clapped his hands twice in quick succession as a door appeared behind the teams. "I've created a doorway from this realm to yours, you may come and go as you please. Do try to stay alive though, I'm not sure if I can pull in a ghost to read."

Phyrra shivered as feeling as if that statement was aimed directly at her. "What happens if only a few of us step out the door?" she asked recalling an explanation when they first arrived in this room. "Doesn't time stop if key members of the world disappear without cause?"

"My dear…I've never thought of that," Fox admitted with a tilt of his head. "Why don't we experiment, one of you should step through the door, wait one minute and come back in." he looked around the assembled teens. "If you do not return after one minute we'll have to send the other seven of you out to fetch them."

Ren hummed intrigued despite himself. "I'll do it." He stated simply. "We were all in our rooms correct? Therefore this door should be in our room right now."

"Not wrong, but not right either," Fox informed them. "if you would, please pull out your invitations." Waiting for the teens to do so he nodded when they all began examining them more closely. "I sent out invitations to Team RWBY and Team JNPR, not Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Phyrra, and Ren. This doorway will appear wherever the team last accepted the invitation." He walked up and grasped the two invitations and suddenly each teen had a piece of paper in their hands

Nora's head spun as she tried to follow the explanation. "Huh?" she wondered as she held her head in her hands.

"Simply put, now that you've all accepted the invitation, and I modified the door to allow you entrance as long as the four members of each team hold their invitations together."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "What happens if someone follows us in?" she asked seriously.

Fox hummed as he scratched his neck. "Well, the only way that happens is if you invite them in since the door will only open to those with an invitation. Which I might add you have the only ones." He smiled as he folded his arms over his chest. "If you want to update the location of a door you'll have to get together with three other people currently in this room and hold four of those personal invitations together.

"And if we lose one?" Yang asked lightly "We're not exactly in a _safe_ profession you know."

"Then you better group up with someone who hasn't lost their invite and have them open a door for you" Fox shrugged his shoulders. "If someone else finds or steals your invitation, manage to find one of your doors and enters before all of you do, then they can read along with you." He sighed "But we're getting off track. Ren if you would."

Ren nodded his head and stepped out of the door. "Interesting." He murmured once the door closed behind him. "I can still move around normally." He noted as he walked over to the door leading into the hallway, giving the door a try he hummed. "Can't open the door though." Walking over to the shared bookshelf he pulled out a book and tried to open it. "I'm surprised I can open this normally as well." He admitted to himself as he glanced at the clock between his own bed and Jaune's. "No change." He noted, "It's been about a minute." He estimated as he headed back towards the door which had appeared on the empty wall that would have led to the room next door.

Upon entering the room Nora quickly latched onto him. "What happened?" she asked cheerfully. With an amused sigh, Ren explained everything he noted to the seven others.

Fox nodded his head thoughtfully as he began rubbing his chin. "Well, there you have it. If you need a break from reading or simply want to live your life feel free to do so.

"I kind of want to read now though…" Ruby muttered shyly as the others made nominal sounds of agreement. Fox blinked in surprise before he smiled and held the book out to Ruby.

"My apologies, please begin,"

**Jaune Arc was in trouble.**

"What a wonderful way to start the story off Jaune." Blake teased as Jaune just covered his face and groaned.

**Serious trouble, in fact. He was probably going to jail… or maybe worse... Fraud, deceit? Other allegations he didn't know the name of, but was sure existed? Once again Lady Luck had taken one good look at Jaune Arc and thrown up all over him.**

**It had all seemed like such a fantastic idea at first too. Beacon Academy was the premier school for hunters, the best of the best went there, and those that graduated went on to be successful and famous hunters – and then became heroes.**

"I know we went over the whole 'Why would you do something this stupid' schtick before…" Yang began as she and the others turned towards Jaune who only sank further into his seat. "But seriously what the actual fuck Vomit boy."

"SWEAR JAR!" Ruby shouted pointing an accusing finger at Yang who rolled her eyes but produced a single lien to hand to Ruby.

"Please stop I get it, I get it…" Jaune moaned as he tried to disappear into his chair.

**He'd always wanted to become a hero, but like most children he'd whittled away his younger years dreaming and playing, only to find that he wasn't fit enough to enter Signal. And now, because he didn't have the training from Signal – he wasn't skilled enough to enter Beacon. It was such an unfair conspiracy!**

**It wasn't that he wasn't intelligent, or hard-working. He was willing to train for hours if need be… the problem was that he had started too late in his life. Deciding he wanted to become a hunter at the age of twelve that had left around six months for him to train for the Signal entrance exams. Of course, he hadn't been fit enough… even with a grueling regime, what could be achieved in just six months!?**

**He hadn't given up though, he'd trained hard, studied even harder. But there was no real substitute for four years intense training at a combat school, and it showed. When it had come to the time to send his credentials in for the Beacon admission he hadn't even hesitated.**

**To cheat.**

"You're lucky we know all this already Arc." Weiss pointed out with only a little venom in her tone.

"Weiss, we already gave him a month's worth of cold shoulder for this. Please don't start it up again." Ruby pleaded not wanting to strain their friendship again so soon after everyone finally made amends with each other.

Weiss rolled her eyes "Don't overreact Ruby, I'm merely stating facts."

**Oh, he'd learned his lesson from Signal alright, better to seek forgiveness than ask permission, there was **_**no**_** way he would get into Beacon without a formal education in combat so he'd saved up some money and sought out the aid of a… well… a less than reputable individual, who was skilled in forgery. And Gods, it had been expensive too!**

**The documents were brilliant though, painting a believable and impressive history that was enough to make him stand out, but not too much. He'd even tested it at a Bank, and been able to open an account using it – so he knew it was good.**

**He could still remember the advice the guy had given him as well. **_**Remember kid, the best lies have a grain of truth in them – but if you can't use the truth, just tell so many lies that they can only dig through the top layer.**__**Hide lies under more lies.**_

"I did wonder how you managed to get those transcripts, now that I think about it," Pyhrra admitted with a small apologetic smile on her face.

"Actually… I kind of…found them?" Jaune questioned as he recalled the situation. "Now that you mention it…I was just walking around Vale after running away from home and found the transcripts just laying on the ground near the inn I was staying at."

"And you never thought to question that?" Ren asked in disbelief.

"Renny! If Jaune was thinking properly he wouldn't be here!" Nora chimed in while Jaune rubbed the back of his head as he normally did when embarrassed.

**He'd been so damn confident this would work…**

**Which was why his world had come crashing down when he had received a personal invitation for an interview with the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, Headmaster Ozpin.**

_**I'm screwed. Of course, he saw through it, and now he wants to ask why I did this before he arrests me.**_

"Did he invite you for an interview?" Blake questioned as she glanced at the Knight.

"No, I just got a letter of acceptance," Jaune stated now thoroughly confused as the whole situation stopped making sense to him due to the benefit of hindsight.

**In fact, he was so sick with worry that he had unintentionally managed to survive the Bullhead trip to the Academy itself without vomiting. That might have also had something to do with the fact that he hadn't eaten in over sixteen hours as well…**

**Nervously he tugged at the collar of his hoodie and readjusted his armor. He wasn't sure why he had come armed to the teeth to this meeting, he certainly wouldn't be able to fight his way out of this. But the clothing did provide him some small level of confidence. He could at least look the part.**

_**Confidence… that's all I can rely on right now. But Dad did always say that confidence can be all you need in some situations.**_

Yang huffed as she stared at Jaune "Are you _sure_ you weren't missing something when you told us your dad said confidence was all you needed?"

"I'm sure." Jaune nodded his head. "Dad said all you need is confidence."

"And that's him not leaving things out or meaning something other than what you tried?"

"I…think so?" Jaune scratched his head. "I mean, he married Mom and convinced her to give birth to eight kids."

"Isn't that just your Mother being a Nymphomaniac and your Father a Satyriasis?" Weiss pointed out unable, or perhaps unwilling, to believe that confidence was the only bit of advice Jaune's Father had ever given to him.

"Nympho what now? Satyr?" Ruby asked confusion clear in her voice.

Phyrra sighed and accepted her role as the tainter of innocent minds "Nymphomaniac refers to a woman with uncontrollable sexual urges. Satyriasis is the same thing for men."

"Like Yang and Uncle Qrow?"

"Absolutely not!" Yang shouted as she slammed her fist into Ruby's head. "I'll have you know that I can control my urges and Uncle Qrow may be a skirt chaser, but it's a conscious choice on his part, not an impulse!"

Ruby whimpered in pain as she turned back to the book.

**That advice was all he had to trust, as the door to the Bullhead slowly groaned open, revealing the tall spires of Beacon Academy to his eyes. It was beautiful… Everything he had imagined it to be when he had dreamed of attending when he was younger. He savored the sight before letting out the sigh of the damned and walking purposefully down the ramp towards the blonde figure waiting for him.**

**It was a woman of indiscernible age, with blonde hair and stern expression that screamed disciplinarian. One arm was held at her side, pinning a number of books to her hip, while her other hand held what appeared to be a riding crop.**

**"I'm sorry, did I keep you waiting?" Jaune greeted in as calm a voice as he could, making sure to keep his eyes fixed on her green orbs as he held a single hand out in greeting. Internally his mind was screaming at him to run, but he stuck to the confident and self-assured persona his forged records suggested he had. **_**Time to go down fighting!**_

"Miss Goodwitch," Blake noted simply. "I suppose we'll get to have a better look at Miss Goodwitch as a person because of this story."

"Only if she's remotely close to this in real life." Ren pointed out.

**The woman nodded back once, reaching forward to shake his hand briefly still keeping the crop in hand as she did so. She didn't smile at him, but her green eyes didn't show any anger either – which was probably a good sign.**

**"Indeed, thank you for coming Mr. Arc. I am Glynda Goodwitch, Deputy Headmistress and a teacher here. I hope Professor Ozpin's summons was not too sudden."**

**"Of course not, I was happy to have a chance to see Beacon in person," Jaune replied easily as he offered the woman a smile. He had to resist the urge to let it die an ugly death when she stared back at him, simply quirking an eyebrow. "If you're to escort me to meet the Professor, will you let me help you with those books?"**

Fox smiled slightly. "This is how you flirt Jaune." He noted happily. "Smile, be kind, helpful, understanding, and maintain eye contact." Humming he tapped chin with a finger. "I'm probably forgetting something…" he admitted

**"Oh. Yes, thank you, Mr. Arc." The woman accepted with a slightly surprised expression before she could hide it. Jaune took half of the books with a hidden grin, glad that his attempt to distract her had worked. Only a few books, but a gentleman was always polite with ladies, no matter their station. "If you will follow me, I will show you to Ozpin." She turned away from him as he quickly stepped in to walk beside her.**

**"Thank you Mrs. Goodwitch."**

**"Miss, actually." She corrected as the two of them passed under a stone arch and into what looked to be a large round plaza with a fountain in the center.**

"Laying it on kind of thick aren't you?" Ruby asked looking at Jaune who blushed. "ugh I should be happy you weren't like this when we first met." She muttered with a small blush. "Talk about awkward."

"I'm sorry?" Jaune muttered not quite sure if she was happy or not.

**"Really? Oh, I mean - sorry!" Jaune apologized, making sure to add a little fake surprise to his voice. He wasn't surprised at all she wasn't married since she looked too damn scary and unapproachable for most men. Even if he was closer to her age he didn't think he would have the stones to talk to her. "I didn't mean to assume."**

**"Don't worry about it, Mr. Arc." The woman urged with what actually looked to be the slightest beginnings of a smile on her face. Barely there for a moment before she mercilessly killed it. Still, it was a start.**

_**Okay – okay, think Jaune. Disciplinarian, apparently strict and is a headmistress. So be polite, formal, flattering – but don't even think about flirting. She helps run a school for young adults, no doubt she gets way too much of that attention as it is…**_

"Does she?" Nora asked looking up in thought. "I mean I know she has a smoking hot body, but I don't think I've seen anyone get too big for their britches and actually try to flirt with her."

"I'm certain she's had to deal with her fair share of unwanted attention," Ren added in with his matter of fact manner of speaking.

"Speaking of…I never hear any rumors about miss G's love life. Think she even has one?" Yang asked as she stretched her arms over her head.

"Doubtful considering how much she puts into her work on a daily basis." Blake denied with a simple shrug of her shoulders.

**It was definitely important to stay on the good side of anyone here.**

**"If I might ask, Miss Goodwitch? Do you know why Professor Ozpin wants to meet with me? I'm afraid he didn't explain very much when he called me."**

**And what a harrowing call it had been. Completely out of the blue, and he'd been too damn scared to ask many questions of the white-haired man. He'd been able to only just get out that he would be able to make the appointment and confirm the Bullhead arrival time. He'd then spent the next week in a panicked agony… and now here he was.**

"I'm pretty sure that's normal." Jaune pointed out as his cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"Only if you have something to hide." Weiss countered mercilessly.

**"I do know Mr. Arc, but I'm not at liberty to tell you just yet. I believe Ozpin would like to meet with you first. I **_**am**_** sorry." No real expression on her face beyond the stern expression he was beginning to believe was standard for her, but the inflection she put on her apology suggested she **_**was**_**, in fact, a little sorry she could not tell him. At the very least it provided a little more confidence for him.**

**If this was to throw the evidence of his forgery in his face, then she certainly wouldn't be this polite with him – and definitely wouldn't apologize for keeping things secret from him. If she was as stern as her expression, dress, and mannerisms suggested… and Jaune was **_**very**_** sure of his first impressions here. Then she would be **_**furious**_** if she knew he had forged his documents.**

**Did this mean they didn't know they were fake!?**

**Was he going to get away with this?**

Seven pairs of eyes drifted towards Jaune "Are you that good a judge of character Jaune?" Phyrra asked curiously.

"I thought Miss Goodwitch was fairly obvious though." Jaune waved it off.

The others thought a bit about it before shrugging their shoulders. "Eh fair point." Yang vocalized their collective thoughts.

**"Don't worry about it then." He laughed, waving off the issue as he tugged at his jeans. "I'm just worried that I'm a little under-dressed for the occasion."**

**"Not to worry Mr. Arc, we understand that for a person of your caliber, you would come to such a meeting armed. It can be difficult to put hunting the Grimm aside, even for more experienced people."**

**His caliber… yeah. But at least his records had proven themselves it seems, if she honestly believed was some kind of hotshot hunter-in-training. That took a lot of the stress off his shoulders, especially if this was just some kind of acceptance interview, or maybe they interviewed all the students before deciding to accept them? Had he panicked over nothing?**

Weiss raised an eyebrow "Now I'm curious." She admitted plainly. "What exactly did your transcripts say?"

"Hopefully we'll find out this chapter," Blake added in heading off any further conversation.

**"Ah, here we are. Professor Ozpin is awaiting us inside." Two large doors opened slowly as the woman walked into the room, letting Jaune follow behind her as he admired the decor. From the view through the huge windows he would tell this was the central spire of the academy, apparently the Headmaster's personal office.**

**Apart from a large desk and a few bookcases, the room was rather bare. He had honestly imagined something more from a man as powerful, and no doubt wealth, as the headmaster of Beacon. But perhaps this was just to create an image, the man's personal quarters could be lavish.**

**"Greetings Mr. Arc." The man stood behind the desk commented, dressed in an immaculate green suit, and sipping on a large mug of some hot beverage. Even if Jaune had not recognized him as the man who had called him recently, he would have known Ozpin by his fame and distinctive white hair. Swallowing his nervousness, Jaune strode towards the desk and held his hand out over the polished wood, his blue eyes staring into brown. A hysterical part of Jaune's mind commented that Ozpin's hair seemed quite similar in design to his own.**

"Wait, is Professor Ozpin wealthy?" Nora asked curiously. "I honestly never thought about it, but the teachers have to be paid right?" the others shrugged their shoulders. "Do you think it pays well?"

"I'm sure it does Nora," Ruby stated with a grin. "Teaching the next generation of heroes? Definitely a good paycheck for that."

"Maybe not as good as a running the biggest Dust company on the planet though." Blake submitted her own input as she sent a teasing look towards Weiss.

"_I_ do not run the SDC" she pointed out with a huff.

**"A pleasure headmaster." He kept his hand steady, waiting as the man seemed to take a long sip of his drink, before putting it down and grasping Jaune's hand in a firm shake. Glynda stepped forwards to take the books Jaune was carrying from him, as he sat down across from the headmaster. The woman then walked around the desk to stand beside, but slightly behind, the headmaster. Jaune waited for them to speak, not saying anything as the man took another long drink of what Jaune could now identify as coffee.**

**"Well then Mr. Arc, thank you for coming to this meeting." Jaune nodded but didn't say anything. This man was definitely far above himself in terms of experience and knowledge, and Jaune knew about dealing with people like that, if you didn't know the correct response – then **_**stay quiet.**_

**"I received your application for entrance as a student of Beacon Academy, and have had some time to look over your records." Once more he paused here as he fished out some pieces of paper from a drawer in his desk, taking another long drink. Jaune schooled his expression into a calm facade, despite the frantic hammering of his heart in his chest.**

"What do you guys think?" Jaune asked as he folded his arms. "Is Professor Ozpin really drinking anything or is he just messing with me?"

"I mean…it _is_ a big cup," Ruby muttered not quite sure.

"He must be a very slow drinker if he still has liquid after three long sips even with a mug that size," Ren commented simply as he folded his arms expression unreadable as ever.

**"Quite the glowing recommendations you come with Mr. Arc. Trained for four years at the Vacuo Academy for Gifted Youths, before staying on to begin your formal Hunter Education. You would be 20 years old now, correct?"**

**"That's right." Jaune lied, trusting the forged documents with all his heart. It had been an important move to have him listed as three years older than he was so that he could fit in. The various hunter academies kept in close contact, so it would be clearly obvious if he claimed to be from one and they checked the records against their database… All except for one school… since it had been destroyed by the Grimm three years ago.**

**"I've heard of many survivors of the attack there… most did not continue their career as Hunters." The Vacuo Academy for the Gifted had been a famous school, and one of the only schools that could train hunters from their first entry at 13, right through to their graduation at 21. It had been attacked and destroyed by the Grimm three years ago though, and most of the records had been lost with it. The fraudster had made sure to explain that to Jaune, along with the importance of sticking with the story.**

"Is that a real place?" Ruby asked Weiss who blinked in surprise.

"Why would I know that?" she asked in return.

"Cause you always seem to know things I don't?"

"Only because you keep asking me things about Dust and Atlas!"

"Are they dating or something?" Jaune asked Yang with a whisper.

"Or something," Yang responded in kind as she smirked. "But definitely something we like to tease them about." Looking to Phyrra Yang raised her voice to be heard over the bickering red white duo. "So P-money, know anything about this school?"

"I don't know much, but I read in the news once that a school in Vacuo was destroyed by the Grimm, no survivors." The Spartan answered dutifully

"Oh,"

**"I can understand why. It took me over two years to recover from that. I am hoping you will not let my age work against me in this regard." That had been one of his main concerns, that they would refuse him because his records now said he was 20, above the usual starting age.**

**"Of course not Mr. Arc." The man replied back with a small smile. "Three years is not so much time in the grand scheme of things, and it would be a shame to see such talent wasted. My concern is quite the opposite, in fact, Mr. Arc." At this he pushed across some of the papers to Jaune, showing him statistics he had long since memorized.**

**Valedictorian, skilled fighter, excellent tactical skills and a strong grasp of theory. A team leader with unparalleled empathy for his team, able to motivate people to work as cohesive groups, even in the worst of situations. His records even claimed he had a few missions under his belt. Some taken during his time in Vacuo, others during the three-year break afterwards.**

Jaune could feel the stares, hell he could _hear_ them "It's not me, it's this version of me please stop." He moaned pitifully

**He couldn't claim he'd just sat around for three years, so his records painted a picture of a man who had done his best to evacuate the other students and fought to protect them. He'd also done some freelance work for villages that could not afford a hunter, or who needed help immediately.**

**All falsified.**

**"If I may be frank Mr. Arc." The man spoke, as a grin formed on his features. Meanwhile, Jaune's spirits fell in sudden terror. "I think you're **_**too**_** qualified to be a student here."**

_**Huh!?**_

"They believe all of that bullshit?" Yang asked already fishing out a lien for Ruby's swear jar.

"Well, …he hasn't exactly done anything to disprove it yet." Blake pointed out hesitantly. "Think about it. His records show him to be extremely competent and well-mannered right? He's been cordial with Miss Goodwitch, he hasn't shown any outward signs of incompetence or weakness."

"But still… look at him does that look like the body of a man who survived the fall of his school? Or even the body of an active student?" Yang asked pointing at the picture of Jaune within the book.

"Hey…" Jaune whined

**"You have the skills and credentials to be a hunter right now, so might I ask why you wish to be a student once more?"**

**Oh, Gods, he hadn't expected this… that they might reject him for being too good. Or that they might think it's too suspicious for such a skilled man to want to lower himself to the level of a student.**

**"I… need the qualification." Jaune tried as he slumped in his seat. "Skills aside, a lot of doors are closed to a person who has not graduated from a school for hunters. I want to prove to myself, and others, that I deserve to be a hunter."**

"I can see how he becomes a teacher now too," Weiss noted with a crinkling of her nose. "I hope our version of Professor Ozpin is a little more aware than this one seems to be."

**"A worthy goal indeed, and I would never consider denying a hunter his dues. But here in Beacon, we assign students into teams of four. You must understand Mr. Arc, that someone of your ability would overshadow his team and might lead to them not developing into proud hunters as they should…"**

**Jaune couldn't help but feel a small thrill of panic shoot through him, not out of fear that he would be rejected. In fact, the man had as clear as said he would help Jaune get into Beacon… but what if he was assigned to no team, and instead left on his own!? That would be a disaster! He didn't have the skills to survive as a one-man team and would be publically humiliated and ridiculed in front of the entire student body… If he didn't just die first.**

"At least this Jaune seems realistic in his expectations," Weiss muttered with a small sigh.

"Weiss…that actually hurts," Jaune muttered softly.

"Did you not think what would happen if your lie got out to the teachers before you told Phyrra?"

"I have…"

"If you think it stops at expulsion your really Naïve."

"Urk…"

"**If I might ask, and I do not wish to bring back difficult memories. But how did you cope with the grief of losing people in Vacuo?"**

**"It's difficult." Jaune hedged, delaying so he could think of a story to tell, while the two teachers waited patiently. "My team was killed and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. Beyond that, many of our friends and colleagues were dying as well."**

**The two adults seemed sympathetic as he paused to think of more excuses. He couldn't afford to paint himself as a traumatized youth, or they might ask him to undertake counseling. At the same time to suggest he was just **_**over**_** it would come across as incredibly convenient.**

"I honestly can't imagine what that would be like," Phyrra muttered softly as her hands instinctive sought Jaune's for comfort and confirmation that he was still there with her.

Ren and Nora shared a look before intertwining their hands together which did not go unnoticed but was ultimately left alone.

**"Those of us who survived banded together though. People are stronger together and we helped each other when we felt down. I'd had two years to come to terms with what happened and I want to move on if you'll let me."**

_**Put the onus for the decision in their hands, use guilt!**_** Underhanded though it might be, he'd come too far to back out now, this was all or nothing.**

**"Wise words indeed. What do you think Glynda?" The Headmaster asked as he leaned back in his seat with a wide smile on his face. Jaune turned to look at the woman who had escorted him here, noticing the sad look on her face which she quickly hid.**

"I wish I had that level of emotional control," Weiss muttered almost jealously.

"I think I like it better this way," Ruby mentioned while wiping her brow. "One Miss Goodwitch is enough thank you very much."

"Here, here!" Yang echoed the sentiment.

**"I think I agree with your decision Headmaster. Mr. Arc will be good for the students here."**

**He was in!? He'd done it?**

**"I think we'll be happy to welcome you to Beacon Academy, Mr. Arc." Professor Ozpin congratulated, pushing a sheet of paper and pen across to Jaune, which he picked up to inspect.**

**"A contract for employment?" He blurted out with some confusion, as he flicked through the various pages, seeing nothing but huge amounts of text and regulations.**

Someone snorted which soon led to all the others following suit. As everyone else laughed Jaune just sighed and placed his face within the palm of his hands.

**"You're too qualified to be a student here Mr. Arc, but you have just what we need for a Support Teacher at Beacon Academy." Jaune barely heard the man, his eyes flicking over the front page. A teacher, him!? Oh, Gods, this was a disaster. Forget forging his way as a student, this was about ten times worse. He was going to be forging his way into employment!**

**And he didn't know enough about being a hunter! He could barely fight, Good Gods, his students would be able to beat him up! He was going to be roughed up by his own students… in front of everyone!**

**"I have no experience teaching…" He couldn't help but stammer out, only for his new hope to be crushed as the blonde deputy stepped forwards.**

"Oof shot down immediately." Nora made a big show of wincing as if watching a particularly nasty fight. Jaune groaned.

"Ha, ha, laugh it up Nora," the blonde knight grumbled as Nora did just that.

**"I will be helping you with that Mr. Arc." She replied as she nodded to him. "You will have your own classes, but we will do some training a few days before the term starts, and you can sit in on some of my lessons as well. You will be up to standard for this, don't worry."**

**Oh, that wasn't his worry at all. His worry was more along the lines of humiliation, followed by an inquiry – maybe finished up with a lengthy jail term.**

**"Your responsibilities would be helping other teachers with their workload, monitoring some lessons. Perhaps in some advanced cases shadowing teams on missions as well. You might have your own classes in a few months, but they would be irregular subjects."**

"Oh, good, he's more of T.A. than an actual teacher," Blake muttered softly. "That actually makes more logical sense considering the age they think he is, even if he was as skilled as those transcripts said he was."

**"Can you give me an example of what subjects you might be thinking?" Jaune asked, half to give him more time to think up excuses, but also so that he could get some bloody studying in on whatever subjects those were!**

**"I have long wanted to offer a course for those who have experienced a loss or difficult missions. Perhaps on coping in stressful situations, or simply camping. They would be optional courses, and you wouldn't be required to grade or offer exams."**

**Okay, that didn't sound so bad… if they weren't graded then arguably there was no way to prove he couldn't do the job, was there?**

"How wonderfully naïve of you." Ren smiled softly despite the barb at his friend's expense.

"Ren~!"

**He wanted to refuse. To explain that he had applied as a student and wanted to become one, be a part of a team… but that wasn't what Jaune Arc, a survivor of Vacuo, would do… he was a leader, a man with standards and confidence, who had survived where others had died. Anything else could reveal him as a fraudster.**

**"I suppose I don't really have a choice do I?" Jaune joked to the two, while internally his mind screamed in agonized pain.**

**"Welcome to Beacon, Professor Arc."**

_**Fuck my life.**_

"Got caught in your lies, now suffer the consequences." Yang grinned as she slapped Jaune on the back. "Great going, Vomit Boy."

"Please stop calling me that."

"Nope!" she popped the P as usual when she was teasing someone else.

Fox coughed once into his hands. "Well, if anyone desires to exit the room for something, now is your chance." He explained kindly. "We may read some more once everyone is ready."

* * *

(TO BE CONTINUED)

next chapter will be May 6th


	2. Reading chapter 2

Hello, enjoy the next chapter of RWBY reads Professor Arc.

* * *

(BREAK)

The two teams glanced at each other before turning to Fox. "I think we'll continue reading," Jaune announced for everyone.

Fox hummed thoughtfully before shrugging his shoulders in acceptance. "Very well, whenever you are ready." He nodded his head allowing the two teams to pick a reader amongst themselves.

"I'll do it this time." Ren volunteered as Ruby handed him the book.

**"Wow, it sure pays to be a teacher," Jaune mumbled to himself as he looked around his new quarters, which were adjoined to his small office. The Headmaster had apparently thought that since he was a support teacher who might be called into any role on short notice, it made sense to have his office and living quarters connected. Jaune had been quick to agree, knowing that if the man had claimed that new teachers wore pumpkins on their heads, he probably would have done it so as not to appear suspicious.**

"I can already see the trouble brewing because of this," Weiss muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"I think we all can." Blake agreed content to just let things play out.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jaune grumbled under his breath.

"No offence Jaune, but it wouldn't be a good story if it mentioned something like this and didn't make use of it," Blake explained as she spared the Knight a brief glance. Jaune just sighed tiredly while Ruby and Pyrrha patted him on the back comfortingly.

**He just hadn't expected it to be so spacious! He had a decent sized bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, along with a kitchen-living room combination separated by a counter with two stools pulled up against it. The living area consisted of little more than a couch with a low lying coffee table and a decent-sized television, but it was still much more than he was used to at home. What's more, the fridge and cupboards were well stocked with a variety of meats and food.**

The students all looked on in interest as the image of the room was projected for them. "Wow, that's really nice," Jaune muttered taking it all in.

"The teachers really do make good money." Nora giggled to herself as she tried to imagine what each teacher used their own personal funds for.

**It was almost enough to distract him from what today actually was. Today was to be his first official day of employment, and what was worse, the students were expected to arrive for within the next eight hours or so... though thankfully the mysterious initiation was not until the following day. Miss Goodwitch had been quick to assure him that the initiation would take the entire day and that any teaching that might be required was still a good two days away. Still though...**

**Where was the training he had been promised!?**

"Well, I suppose any actual training would have to wait until there are actual Students to teach huh?" Yang mused as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"Still, they could've provided a booklet on simple facets of the job," Weiss argued without any heat.

"Is there anything simple about teaching hunters and huntresses in training though?" Ruby asked curiously as she glanced at her partner. Weiss hummed but didn't deny the statement.

**Idly his eyes fell on a small card that sat perched on the coffee table where he had laid it earlier, and the guilt that came along with it hit him like a mallet.**

**Congratulations on your new job! It was filled with kind and loving words, not only from his mother and father - who had been shocked but ecstatic that he had landed such a good job. But also from his sisters who pretty much had expected him to be a bum all his life. Such faith, and yet probably rightfully deserved.**

"Speaking of siblings," Ren paused his reading to glance at Jaune. "Have you kept in contact with yours at all?"

"Not… really" Jaune admitted while looking away out of embarrassment.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha scolded as she lightly smacked his shoulder "You said you'd contact them!"

"We've been busy!" Jaune complained as he flushed and looked away from his partner.

"No excuses!" as the two bickered Nora quietly nudged Ren to continue reading.

_**We're so proud of you!**_** He could remember the look on his mother's face as he told her what had happened. Oh, he'd made some alterations to the tale. As far as they knew he was going to be teaching at a combat school teaching younger teenagers, but the gist of the job had been the same. So maybe the lie wasn't **_**that**_** bad?**

**"Who am I kidding, I'm going straight to Hell."**

Yang chortled at the line covering her mouth to muffle the sound. The others collectively rolled their eyes but smiled nonetheless.

**Still, his parents had been supportive and helpful and had even taken him out shopping for supplies as a gift to him. Hence the new coat he was wearing that crossed over his breast-plated chest and swept down to the back of his knees. It wasn't a fashion statement though... one of the concerns that Jaune had given to his parents was that the **_**fourteen**_**-year-old students he was going to be teaching wouldn't give him full respect since he was so young. His mother had suggested dressing to make himself look older, and just not **_**mentioning**_** his age to any of them.**

**So he knew where he got the lying from anyway.**

"Mom's not that bad…" Jaune muttered a little upset at what the book implied. "If anything I get that from my older sisters."

"Which one?" Nora asked

"All of them. There's an art form to shifting blame to someone else just as likely to actually do it."

**Either way she had chosen the dark blue coat because it apparently accentuated his height, and also hid his chest and arms from view. She said most people would just see the sword and shield, along with the coat and armor - and assume him to be a lot more buff than he actually was beneath it all. He'd taken the obvious dig in stride and agreed with the decision. He couldn't say he felt, or looked, any older - but maybe it would work on other people.**

"Huh, what do you think about his outfit?" Yang interrupted the little discussion as she considered the wardrobe change.

"I think it makes him look handsome," Pyrrha admitted with a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"I'm pretty sure you just think Jaune is handsome period." Blake pointed out sarcastically causing Pyrrha's cheeks to redden even further while Jaune blushed.

"In all seriousness, I think it looks respectable," Ren muttered as he took a moment to look at the outfit as a whole.

"Yeah, he doesn't look like a noodle!" Nora chimed in causing Jaune to look at her oddly.

"A noodle?"

"Yup!" Ren rolled his eyes but continued reading.

**"Mr. Arc, may I come in?" A recognizable female voice asked from outside the doors to his quarters. Jaune quickly walked over and opened it to reveal the stern face of Glynda Goodwitch.**

**"Ah. Good morning Miss Goodwitch, come in." He beckoned with his arm, stepping back to let her into the room. He tried not to pay attention to the way her green eyes quickly snapped left and right to inspect the room, before settling on himself once more.**

**"A new fashion statement Mr. Arc?"**

Everyone shivered at her tone. "I know she doesn't mean to, but she sounds so scary!" Ruby complained as she held her arms close to her body for warmth.

"I know what you mean Ruby." Blake agreed as she shook her head. "It always feels like she's looking for any sort of fault in your actions."

"Do you think she was always like that?" Jaune asked as he took calming breaths.

"I hope not," Pyrrha muttered softly as Ren waited patiently for everyone to quiet down.

**"It was a suggestion from a friend, to help me look a little older in the eyes of the students." So it totally wasn't **_**his**_** fault if it was against the rules or anything, he didn't add.**

**"Ah, I see. Are you worried about teaching students so close to your age?" Her voice and face were calm as she asked the question, and he wasn't able to tell if it was some kind of trap.**

**"Just concerned." He diverted instead. "I don't doubt my ability, but I am a little concerned that some of the students might rebel against the idea. Hence my wanting to appear a little older than I actually am." That sounded like something an ideal teacher would say, didn't it? All he had to do was make every decision, and say everything - as if the welfare of his students was the most important thing in the world to him.**

"Are you this good at lying in real life?" Yang asked Jaune with narrowed eyes.

"I don't think so?" Jaune responded with a statement that sounded more like a question.

"Good, because if you were I think I might wash your mouth out with soap." Pyrrha nodded her head resolutely.

"Isn't that for kids who swear too much?" Weiss questioned looking at the champion oddly.

"Lying in excess is also filthy." Pyrrha declared getting an understanding look from the heiress.

**"I can understand that." Miss Goodwitch accepted as she shuffled some books onto his counter. "Don't worry so much about it though, as a support teacher you will be teaching in conjunction with myself or others. If they fail to show you the proper respect, they will soon learn the error of their ways."**

_**Aww...**_** He couldn't help but coo to himself as he simply nodded his thanks to her. That was actually a pretty sweet and supportive thing to say, which surprised him since it was coming from such a stern-looking woman.**

**"Thank you, I appreciate it. Is that material for me to look over?" That certainly did look like a lot of material, at least six tomes worth as well as a number of stapled sheets of paper set to one side.**

"Yeah sweet and supportive with a dash of threatening," Yang muttered as she shook off the minor levels of fear Glynda's statement caused her.

"At the very least it shows that she cares for her co-workers," Weiss commented with an airy wave of her hands.

"Maybe so, but as a student, it still terrifies me," Ren mentioned with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Fair point, but my statement still stands." Weiss conceded with a shrug.

**"This is the course syllabus for Professor Port's Grimm studies class, as well as Professor Oobleck's history class. The Headmaster has decided you will work with those two teachers, as well as myself. I've also included some books on teacher training for you to look through. As well as a few … tips... I thought to write down myself." The woman hesitated as she said this, before showing him the printed paper which seemed to entail three full pages of written text in elegant handwriting.**

**"You went to so much effort for me, thank you so much." He flattered as he took the pages and glanced over them. They seemed to be mostly focused on how to keep order and discipline teenagers in class. For a moment he felt incredibly awkward that she had effectively handed him tips on just how to punish people... but then again the other things were probably covered in the books.**

"Oh my god, she has three pages worth of methods to punish people." Ren breathed in deeply as the terror overtook him for a moment.

"And she has this all memorized!" Nora shivered. "What if we get a new teacher someday and we do something bad in class while Miss Goodwitch is showing them the ropes. She'll just adjust her glasses and say something like 'In this case use page three, subsection B, item number two.' And then it will be so much worse for us because we don't know what that means!"

"If that actually happens in that exact manner I'll never look at Ren's pancakes the same way ever again," Jaune whispered to Pyrrha who giggled.

"Ren's pancakes?" Pyrrha questioned mirthfully.

"What else could cause that level of precognition?" Jaune shot back. Pyrrha considered what else Nora ate or ingested on a daily basis.

"Huh, it really might be Ren's pancakes."

**"It's no problem." The Deputy waved away, though there was the tiniest hint of pink on her cheeks at his honest praise.**

**"No, this is wonderful Gly- Miss Goodwitch." This was **_**exactly**_** what he needed to have a chance here. What's more, she had perhaps inadvertently told him exactly what he would be helping with, and provided him the syllabus ahead of time! All he would need to do was see what they were covering in an upcoming class, and memorize everything on that subject and he would be fine.**

**"I suppose you can call me Glynda outside of the student's hearing." The blonde interrupted his thoughts as she turned away from him while speaking. Why was she looking away from him? "You can probably get away with calling most other teachers by their names, or simply their title."**

"I'm starting to think these two are going to be an item in the future," Yang muttered while resting her cheek on the back of her hand.

"It's not exactly subtle foreshadowing." Blake agreed with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Isn't that…" Ruby trailed off as she tried to find the words.

"Wrong?" Weiss suggested "Morally reprehensible? Disgusting? Take your pick, Ruby."

"Well that too, but… isn't she older than uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked innocently causing the rest of the students to pause.

"You shouldn't try to guess a lady's age," Jaune muttered as he slapped his cheeks to clear the thoughts. "Especially when she can move things with her mind."

"Yeah." The others all agreed as they remembered Glynda fixing the cafeteria after the food fight.

**"Thank you then, Glynda. I hope you'll call me Jaune as well?"**

**"Of course Mr. Arc." She replied, apparently not quite able to address him so casually. "I do apologize that I won't be able to offer you more, one-on-one, training. But with the students arriving today..."**

**"Yes, initiation. I had heard of it, is there anything you need me to do to help with that?" He certainly hoped not, he was already on limited time and he didn't even know **_**what**_** the initiation was yet.**

"I wonder if she said that knowing it could sound like innuendo?" Yang mused

"I'm sure she's aware but confident Jaune isn't like that," Pyrrha interjected before things could escalate.

"Honestly with the way Miss Goddwitch talks, I'd be more surprised if anyone mistook her words for anything other than what they actually are." Jaune pointed out.

"Hey, I'm sure there's someone out there willing to push her buttons," Nora whispered conspiratorially.

"If you actually do that, then no pancakes for a week." Ren declared with a deadpan tone. Nora gasped in fear as she made the motion of zipping her mouth.

**"No, no. But thank you, Mr. Arc. We have that all covered for now... I think it might be best if you simply looked to read as much of that material as you can. I'll have someone come and collect you before the first Bullheads arrive. I think it would be best for your credibility if you were seen immediately alongside the other teachers."**

**"I understand." He accepted with glee. Perfect. Now just to get rid of Glynda so he could have as much time to read as possible and get ready. "Is there anything else?"**

**"No, that's all. I will see you later than Mr. Arc." And with that, she was gone. Slipping out of his room before he could so much as offer her a goodbye. **_**Man, she's a weird cookie... but still, she saved my bacon!**_

"If someone were to tell me that Beacon only runs as well as it does because they have Miss Goodwitch on the staff I honestly would not be surprised." Weiss declared.

"The amount of work she puts in is rather impressive." Blake agreed with a slight nod of her head. "Still… what does she do in her free time?"

"Does Miss G. even get free time?" Yang wondered aloud.

"I mean she should, there are labor laws in Vale after all," Weiss muttered

"Doesn't mean she takes the day off or vacations," Pyrrha muttered.

There was a long silence as the teams looked at each other. "Should we get her a gift basket?" Everyone's attention shifted towards Ruby. "I mean she does so much for us, and this school, maybe we should get her something to show that we appreciate the effort she puts in."

"That… sounds like a great idea… actually." Jaune muttered as he started to seriously think about it. "We'd just need to figure out what to get her though."

"Could we slip in a gag gift among all the honest ones?" Yang asked looking more and more interested as people started to bat ideas around.

"I'm almost scared to ask what you have in mind," Blake admitted as she stared her partner in the eye.

"Nothing too bad," Yang assured the cat faunus while crossing her fingers behind her back.

**Now all he had to do was read as much of this as he could, right?**

_**Nghhh...**_

_**Captain's log, day thirty. More history... The General leads his troops in a surprise raid on the Faunus of Fort Castle... huge casualties because he forgets they have perfect night vision - hey, that sounds useful.**_** Jaune's face was half laid on the couch's armrest, with his hands propping a history book in front of him. Bloodshot eyes, along with a beautiful set of designer bags hanging beneath them.**

**The clock said it had only been around six hours.**

**The clock must be working with the enemy.**

"That looks unhealthy." Jaune winced slightly seeing this version of him forcing himself to learn everything within the books.

"Though it does prove Jaune's dedication to proving that he belongs there." Ruby pointed out happily.

"There has to be a healthier way to do that." Weiss countered.

"When he has no actual background as a hunter?" Blake questioned curiously.

"Yeah, I'm taking Weiss-cream's side on this," Yang announced with a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know what the answer is, but doing this to himself isn't healthy." Jaune felt someone squeeze his hand, turning to the source he smiled softly seeing Pyrrha's reassuring gaze.

_**Where is your confidence now Jaune Arc?**_** An evil voice taunted in his mind, half-heartedly he recognized it as his self-esteem, which had long since betrayed him. **_**You have to do this for the next four years!**_

**Arms finally gave way as the book slapped into his face with a satisfying sound of leather on flesh. Instead of attempting to remove it he simply let out a distressed groan into the pages. There was so much to cover... and so much to remember.**

**He'd learned the types of Grimm most common to Vale, as well as their general appearance, behavior and threat levels. He'd also done his best to memorize whatever he could on weaknesses and how to fight them. Weirdly it looked like the syllabus for Professor Port's class just entitled a thing called "story time." But he imagined that was theoretical book learning or something.**

"I… am honestly not surprised by this." Ren paused his reading to rub the bridge of his nose as if suffering a headache.

"It would be so much more interesting if Professor Port was believable," Nora whined as she moaned in despair. "Or even just a better storyteller!" She turned to their host who had quietly allowed the teams to read at their own pace. "What do you think, Fox?"

"Well, I haven't met the man personally." The being pointed out. "There are many worlds where he is as you remember him to be, others a veteran hunter who simply mixes up his stories due to his age, and in some, his stories are actually facts."

"Huh," Jaune muttered not expecting that answer. "The age thing actually explains quite a bit." He mused.

**Oobleck's class though... oh Gods... history. How could the man possibly cover so much history so quickly in his lesson plans? That was ridiculous! He was honestly going to cover the entire faunus rights revolution in his first lesson? Wasn't that like ten years of history? He would have to teach at like 60mph to have any chance of getting that across in time.**

**But he hadn't dared to take the risk.**

**Faunus Rights Revolution... learned. Gods...**

"Ah…" Pyrrha winced as she remembered that class. "I… well at least we did it." She muttered getting groans from everyone else.

"It has to be a semblance," Ruby muttered getting dizzy just from remembering the coffee-loving professor. "No way could anyone move or speak that quickly without one.

**He'd also had a few small chances to read through the teacher training, though he wasn't close to finishing that. He had figured it would be safer to be knowledgeable on the course material and fail as a teacher - than to show his hand so early and not know what was surely basic knowledge.**

**Besides, he still had tonight when he was supposed to be sleeping. Their timetables ended at around six in the afternoon, and Jaune honestly didn't **_**have**_** anything to do in his free time. Sure, his parents were keen to hear from him after his first lessons, but that would be little more than a ten-minute call. That left almost six hours of studying a night if he just aimed for six hours sleep.**

_**Six hours studying a night... is it still too late to get arrested?**_

"Honestly might be preferable," Blake noted as she felt herself cringe at all the intellectual material Jaune would have to put himself through just to keep his secret safe.

**Any morose thoughts were quickly banished by a frantic knocking on his door, neither stopping or slowing in pace as he staggered to his feet and sluggishly ambled his way over.**

**"Yes?" He gasped out as he pulled the door open to reveal a bespectacled man in a white shirt with a bright yellow tie and … green hair?**

_**Argh, my eyes! The clash burns!**_

"To be fair, it's not that bad," Weiss noted with only a slight cringe of disgust whereas Yang full on recoiled at the sight.

"Sometimes I wonder if Doctor Oobleck even bothers to try and clean himself up in the morning," Blake muttered tiredly as she rubbed her eyes.

**"Professor Arc, I presume!" The man rattled out, and rattled was definitely the correct term, Jaune thought to himself. Because what should have contained a number of syllables seemed to come out in barely three seconds. He just barely caught the meaning.**

**"That is me, are you one of the other staff?" It was an easy guess since Miss Goodwitch had told him she would send someone to collect him. Was it that time already?**

**"Capital, yes! I am Doctor Oobleck, Professor of History at Beacon as well as a resident expert on Grimm movements and studies at the school. A pleasure to make your acquaintance I hope we will have plenty of time to learn about each other as you assist me with teaching but for now we must make our way to the main foyer to welcome this year's aspiring hunters and huntresses who will hopefully become the future protectors of the people of Vale."**

"Did… did anyone actually understand what he said?" Ruby questioned as she tried to decipher Oobleck's words.

"No, but I have a book so I read them." Ren sounded amused.

"Huh, these books are weird, we're reading them but it honestly sounds like the characters are the ones speaking, and we even see what's happening as if it were on a screen in front of us…"

"Eh, no one ever said reality had to make sense." Fox waved off their concern dismissively.

**"Sounds good?" Jaune guessed, not actually having caught the majority of what was being said, but knowing that if he simply agreed it would probably be for the best.**

**"Capital! Let us be off."**

**"H-hey, Wait!" He shouted out as the man zipped from the room, easily outpacing Jaune as he struggled to strap his sword into place while locking the doors behind him. He just caught sight of a green glimpse vanishing around the corner as he sprinted after the man.**

_**What kind of teacher acts like this!?**_** He shouted in his mind as he spun around the corner, once more barely glimpsing the Professor vanishing down another corridor. And wasn't it ironic that he was criticizing a trained and proven teacher in the first place?**

"Not very…responsible of him is it?" Pyrrha muttered feeling sorry for Jaune.

"I hope to never find out that answer about our own version of Doctor Oobleck." Ren nodded his head solemnly.

**"Doctor Oobleck, please slow down!" He called out as his body ached, unable to continue the grueling pace set by the older man. Fatigue mixed with a general lack of stamina eventually caused him to lose the Professor as Jaune came to a stop against a wall, his hand propping himself up as he panted to himself in exhaustion.**

**As if to make matters worse he could faintly hear the sounds of Bullheads approaching the Academy, no doubt bringing the new students which he was supposed to be visible in front of.**

_**Damn that stupid hyperactive excuse for an adult, what the Hell!?**_

**Now he was certainly going to get it from Goodwitch, and on the first day as well.**

"I think she would be understanding given the circumstances." Weiss pointed out. "Miss Goodwitch is strict but fair."

**Still. He wasn't a child anymore. Apparently, anyway. So he couldn't just sit there and wait to be found by a teacher, similarly, he hadn't thought to actually ask for the contact numbers of the other staff. He would just need to make his way to where the others probably were.**

_**Think, Arc... surely it would be the same place you landed at... Beacon Academy is mostly a circle, so if I can find my way outside, then I can make my way to the central plaza.**_

**The problem was, he couldn't see any way to actually get outside, bar climbing through a nearby window.**

**...**

_**In for a penny...**_

There was a brief bout of chuckles as the two teams smiled seeing the Jaune in the book just sigh tiredly.

**Things had not been going well for Ruby Rose. Two years younger than everyone else at Beacon and already abandoned by the one person she thought she could rely on the most. From there she had caused some kind of explosion with a crabby girl and generally been abandoned to lay on her back in the middle of an empty pathway by the rest of the student body.**

_**Yep! Great way to start my life here...**_

**"Hey there, you okay?" A masculine voice asked from outside of her vision, causing her to sit up on her rear and look around. Standing not two feet to her left was what looked to be another student, smiling at her. That was a good sign, right!?**

Ruby groaned and shrank in on herself. "That part sucked." She whined piteously.

"There, there." Pyrrha soothed as Yang rubbed the back of her head feeling a little guilty about that.

**"Hey." She shyly greeted back, wondering why he had actually come to her when she was laying on the ground like some kind of weirdo. He looked nice enough, with hair a similar shade to Yang's but bright blue eyes. He was really tall though, easily topping six feet in height, and he looked almost a little intimidating too with that heavy-looking coat. If it wasn't for the gentle look in his eyes she might have been too nervous to respond to him.**

**"Let's get you up." He simply said as he offered a hand to her, hoisting her onto her feet with a single tug. Ruby quickly let go of his hand and stepped backward in mild embarrassment. This wasn't exactly how she had planned to make her first impressions at Beacon.**

**"Thanks, I'm Ruby." She greeted instead, shaking her head quickly in an attempt to dispel the nerves she was feeling. "Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you."**

"BESTIES!" Ruby yelled happily jumping on Jaune's back causing him to nearly fall out of his chair.

"Ruby be careful!" he shouted out, though his face carried a wide grin despite himself. The others just looked on with fond looks as the two leaders messed about with wide grins.

**"Jaune. Jaune Arc. What were you doing laid in the middle of the plaza like that?"**

**"Ugh..." Oh damn, he wasn't meant to ask that. Didn't he realize it was probably better to ignore the clearly stupid position he had found her in!? "I guess I just needed to relax for a bit?" She attempted with a weak grin.**

**"Right..." He didn't sound convinced.**

**"Ugh. Okay, I had a pretty bad start and I was just being dramatic. Can we just ignore how you found me?" Her shyness was forgotten as she huffed in annoyance, but the action instead of insulting him - seemed to make him laugh. Internally she smiled as well, hey this wasn't so hard after all!**

"Aw, they grow up so fast." Yang faked some tears causing Ruby to turn red in the face.

"Shut up Yang!" Ruby shouted as she hopped back into her own seat.

**"Okay, okay. You shouldn't worry though. It's your first day, I'm sure you will be fine. I'm a little lost as well, maybe we can both help each other find the rest?"**

**"Sure!" Ruby chirped, inwardly clapping herself on the back for actually making a friendly acquaintance on her first try. Even if it was pure luck that he had been another lost student like herself. "I didn't see where the others went though..."**

**"Just follow me, we'll head to the main hall." He seemed to know where he was going, which was lucky since she didn't want to get lost and miss initiation. Wouldn't that just be humiliating, the youngest girl to ever enter Beacon kicked out before she could even begin. Yeah, sounded great. Go down in the history books, whoo!**

"I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad." Pyrrha tried to assure the little reaper as a small smile played across her lips.

"I've never heard of anyone being expelled for missing orientation." Ren agreed

"**So... uh... I've got this thing." Ruby offered in an attempt to fill the silence that was forming between the two of them, jumping ahead of him and deploying her baby for him to marvel at. As usual, his reaction was of immediate surprise, or awe as she preferred to call it. "This is Crescent Rose, a high impacts customizable sniper rifle!"**

**"And a... scythe?" Jaune asked in apparent amazement. To which she nodded in pride.**

**"That's right. I made her myself at Signal, she's called Crescent Rose and she's the best weapon in the world." She rubbed one hand up its shaft as she said that, with a fond look in her eyes.**

**"Yeah... that's impressive."**

**"So. What you got?" She asked, eager to know what weapon her potential new friend used. It wouldn't be as epic as Crescent Rose of course, but she was still confident it would be a good weapon, and she definitely wouldn't insult him by drawing attention to its inferiority to Crescent Rose.**

Yang rolled her eyes while Blake and Weiss smiled softly despite themselves knowing this was exactly what Ruby would do upon meeting a new friend. "What!" Ruby yelled seeing their reactions. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked defensively.

"Never change Ruby."

**That was hardly fair since **_**everything**_** was inferior to it.**

**Everything.**

**"Well, I've got my sword." He offered as he waved the weapon for her to look at. It looked fairly simple but definitely seemed like it had seen battle, which was a plus. "And I have a shield that turns into a sheath when I don't need to carry it."**

**"But... wouldn't it still weigh the same?"**

**"Well yeah, but it's easier to carry it buckled on my hip, than constantly on my arm."**

**"Well, that makes sense. I'm a bit of a geek but the classics are cool too!" She hoped she hadn't offended him but he looked more amused than anything else. An emotion she was used to seeing on Yang's face, but she would put up with it if she had to.**

"That sounds so much cooler than what you actually said to me." Ruby grinned at Jaune who palmed his face.

"shut up Crater Face," Jaune muttered with a small blush on his face.

"Did you say something Vomit Boy?" Ruby teased.

"Oh my god, she's growing up so fast!" Yang held her hands to her mouth resisting the urge to squeal in delight as she watched Ruby mess with Jaune. Blake smiled seeing Yang's honest happiness.

"Should we start setting up the wedding reception?" she asked causing Yang to freeze as her face paled. 'Sorry Jaune, but this is too funny' Blake mentally apologized to the blond knight as Yang seemed to get revved up as she joined in.

**"Mr. Arc, there you are!" A female voice interrupted them before Ruby could ask him any more questions. She winced as she saw who it was who was approaching them. Oh, Gods, it was that teacher again from the police station. Goodwitch or something... with the terrifying expression and the evil eyes.**

_**When I'm a huntress... I'll sign autographs...**_

**"There you are... I've been looking all over for you, what happened?" Ruby kept silent as the woman addressed the student next to her, unwilling to draw the woman's ire.**

"Don't worry sis, anybody would react like that to Miss Goodwitch." Yang laughed as she had Ruby in a headlock.

"Really you're so immature." Weiss sighed but didn't say anything more.

"At least they're energetic." Pyrrha smiled happily.

**"Miss Goodwitch. I'm sorry, Doctor Oobleck was so fast, I couldn't keep up with him." The woman seemed to sigh in annoyance as she looked to one side, muttering something about coffee from what little Ruby could hear. Either way, she seemed to accept his excuse without argument.**

**"Ah, I see you have found Miss Rose as well. I hadn't realized she had separated from the main group." Ruby spared her a small wave as those green eyes pierced her, but her attempt at a friendly smile to placate the older woman quickly wilted.**

**"Ruby was helping me find my way here. I hope I haven't made her late?"**

"That look reminds me of Dad whenever someone complains about Uncle Qrow," Ruby muttered causing the others to look at her oddly.

"You'd understand if you met our uncle," Yang explained causing everyone's heads to tilt slightly.

**Huh? That sounded weird, why was Jaune claiming that she had been the one to help him out? And why was he so calm when the two of them were clearly in such trouble!?**

**"Jaune?" She asked simply, wondering what he was talking about.**

**"That's professor Arc to you, Miss Rose." The stern woman quickly interrupted, causing Ruby to rear back in shock as she stared at her new friend in a mixture of shock and horror. He simply shrugged apologetically at her in return.**

**"EHHHH!?"**

"An appropriate response." Nora nodded her head sagely.

"Is it?" Jaune muttered looking at his teammate unsurely.

"Jaune she just learned her first friend in Beacon is a teacher and not a student like herself," Ren explained simply. "Student-teacher relations are some of the hardest to describe out there."

"Is it?" Jaune wasn't sure.

"I don't think so, but that's only because our Dad is a teacher too." Yang took the middle ground.

"All that aside," Fox announced as he stood up. "Shall we continue or do you all need a break?"

"I actually think we could use a break," Pyrrha noted seeing some of her friends yawn softly. "Thank you for inviting us to this little session Fox." There was a muffled agreement from everyone else as they all stood up and began stretching.

The being with a fox's head smiled slightly as he clapped his hands. "Well, then I shall eagerly await your return."

* * *

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Before anything else I will say this first, I will not write any intermission chapters. Next chapter will have the two teams returning from their break. The two teams will discuss anything of importance that they did, but I will not write up scenes showing them living their daily lives.

Next chapter: May, 20th


	3. Reading chapter 3

Here you go!

* * *

(BREAK)

Fox hummed softly to himself as he checked his watch. "I'm pretty sure I synced this to their timepieces." He mused. "Then again since they all went back time began flowing like normal again for them so maybe something important came up."

As the being hummed again the door began opening alerting him to a visitor. "And who, may I ask, are you?" one Glynda Goodwitch questioned with a strict gaze as she took in the appearance of the host.

"Oh?" Fox hummed surprised to see the teacher. "I wonder which door you used to arrive here." He mused to himself before shrugging his shoulders in order to address the question presented to him. "I am simply known as Fox, as for what I am, I'm a being who has been tasked with showing Teams RWBY and JNPR various other worlds featuring them or even things they might be interested in."

"Worlds?" Glynda narrowed her eyes as she considered what the being in front of her had said. "And why those two teams specifically?"

"Yes, worlds." Fox began with a nod of his head. "You are aware of the more mystical side of Remnant correct?" The teacher tensed up before narrowing her eyes as she reached for her weapon. "I assure you, that won't be necessary." Fox sighed softly before continuing. "Just as Magic does, in fact, exist so too, does the multiverse."

"The concept that every decision creates an entirely new universe." Glynda summarized.

"In a nutshell. There far more factors than a mere decision or two." Fox smiled seeing Glynda relax ever so slightly. "As for why invite those two teams, well…they usually play a central role for the various worlds involving Remnant. Which brings us back to my own question. How did you arrive here? The only two doors are currently inside RWBY and JNPR's dorm rooms."

"You think you can freeze time and not be noticed?" she questioned with a raised brow.

"I did in fact believe that, since when universe centric existences like JNPR and RWBY vanish time halts as it tries to cope with the loss."

"You forget, for Remnant the key figures are Ozpin and Salem." Glynda countered "Those kids might be important for this generation, but unless they succeed in ending this little war between Salem and Ozpin this will all eventually repeat itself."

"That doesn't make sense then," Fox argued as he gestured for Glynda to take a seat. "Ren did a little experiment earlier, where he exited this space while his friends stayed inside. He noted that time had stopped flowing but that he could still interact with his room."

"That should have clued you in." Glynda allowed the smallest of smirks as she adjusted her glasses. "If those two teams were as important as you thought they were it would've been a complete time stop for him as soon as he left this area."

The being hummed as he took in this information. "So they're important enough for time to pause, but not stop."

"Exactly, Professor Ozpin and I were still aware, we just couldn't leave his office, I imagine it was the same for everyone else on Remnant as well."

"Hey Fox we're back!" the two turned towards the door to see teams JNPR and RWBY walking through the door. "Miss Goodwitch." Yang, the one who had called out, greeted with a surprised look on her face.

"Students." She greeted in return. "You have some explaining to do." After a lengthy explanation, Glynda sighed tiredly as she looked at everyone in the room. "So you're saying that in this world you're currently peering into, Mr. Arc had fake transcripts good enough to get hired as a teacher here?"

"Yeah sounds about right." Ruby nodded meekly as Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Would you like to read a bit of it?" Fox asked simply as Glynda took calming breaths. "You play a central part of this world as well."

"I might as well."

**Jaune schooled his features as he followed Glynda Goodwitch through a few doors to where the other teachers were apparently gathering to discuss what was going on. Apparently, he had missed the entrance speech from Headmaster Ozpin, though she had explained that it didn't really matter. At the very least she had accepted his excuse as to Doctor Oobleck, he wasn't sure if it was more worrying that she had let it go so easily… he was supposed to be a support teacher for that man after all.**

"Damnit Oobleck." Glynda groaned softly.

The two teams shared a look at that. "Is he really that bad professor?" Weiss asked cautiously.

"Yes."

**"Ah, Mr. Arc, a pleasure to see you made it." The Headmaster greeted as the two of them entered the room. Before Jaune could so much as respond to his white-haired employer, a green blur appeared in front of him, taking his hand and shaking it briefly before letting go.**

**"Mr. Arc, my apologies for losing you I did not take into account your speed nor your lack of knowledge as to the surroundings and layout of our fine establishment and must have therefore lost track of you on one of the myriad corridors. I can assure you it will not happen again." The words rattled and mashed together similar to a car wreck, but he could make out the general gist of it and simply nodded his acceptance.**

"My head hurts just trying to keep up with him," Jaune muttered softly as he held his head tightly.

"You get used to it." Glynda dismissed easily as she sighed tiredly.

**"Yes, do try to keep that in mind next time Professor Oobleck." The blonde deputy chastised as she walked past him.**

**"Actually it's doc-" He stopped as green eyes narrowed dangerously behind their glasses. "I mean of course! Of course!"**

**Huh. So it wasn't just him who was apparently terrified of the stern blonde. That was good to know.**

Glynda smiled at the scene while the teens shared a look. "She even keeps the professors in line," Ren noted with some surprise. "Huh, I guess you really are the reason this school even functions."

Glynda merely sighed at the reminder. "Mr. Lie, you have no idea."

**"Well then, perhaps I should introduce you to our resident Grimm studies professor and experienced Huntsman, Professor Peter Port." Jaune turned back to Ozpin as he spoke, before looking towards a rather large man who strode purposefully over to him, giving him a hearty handshake. The teacher was wearing a dark red military jacket and sported a rather impressive grey mustache along with thick bushy eyebrows. Despite himself, Jaune couldn't help but think the man looked quite jolly.**

"I've got to ask professor," Blake confessed as she glanced at the blonde professor. "Are Professor Port's stories even remotely true?"

"He forgets the details often, but the general story is usually true." She admitted, "If the man only put in half the effort into teaching that he does into his storytelling."

There was nervous laughter from the two teams as she grumbled to herself.

**"Bravo, fantastic to meet such a young hunter as yourself." The man boisterously welcomed as he shook Jaune's hand. Jaune smiled back as he did his best to avoid his shoulder becoming dislocated.**

**"Thank you, Professor Port, but I'm hardly a qualified Hunter, I never made it past training after all."**

**"Nonsense my boy! Hunters are created, not simply taught. Surviving in that wilderness for so long makes you more a hunter than many others I've known. And please, call me Peter." Jaune smiled back and was about to reply but for a cough of interruption from the Headmaster.**

Glynda raised an eyebrow before turning towards Jaune who shrank under her gaze.

**"In regard to your qualifications Mr. Arc. You may want to keep those a little quiet. We have decided to say you are a fully qualified Huntsman, and to hear otherwise might cause the students to treat you differently."**

**"I understand, I can play along." Jaune agreed; feeling more than a little amused at the irony of keeping another secret on this matter. So now he was a fraud pretending to be a hunter-in-training who was pretending to be a qualified huntsman.**

"**Good. We'll move onto the next point of business then. Tomorrow we will be holding initiation, and as usual, I have set out the relics in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin continued to speak, while Jaune listened quietly. There was really no point butting in when he could just keep quiet and absorb whatever he could.**

"Quite the repertoire of lies Mr. Arc," Glynda noted causing Jaune to flinch.

"I'm not that bad." Jaune whimpered.

"You're forged transcripts say otherwise." She countered.

"You know about that?" Nora asked amazed that Jaune wasn't in jail or something.

"Miss Valkyrie, despite what many believe Professor Ozpin isn't a fool." She sighed irritably. "He just likes to take gambles every now and then."

**"What did you use as relics this year Headmaster?" The only female teacher asked with mild curiosity, while the Headmaster himself simply took another long drink from his mug.**

**"You will see tomorrow I'm sure. Regardless, we will be launching the students into the Emerald forest and telling them to find the temple and the relics. Whatever relic a pair brings back, will see them grouped with a matching second relic to make four-man teams."**

**Launched? Jaune wanted to ask on that but kept quiet. It might be some form of standardized test for all schools, and he would reveal himself if he wasn't aware of what it was. At the end of the day, satisfying his curiosity was a needless task. He would find out tomorrow with the other students.**

"I assume he used the same relics as this years?" Glynda questioned looking to Fox.

"If you mean the chess pieces, then yes, he did." Fox nodded his head while Glynda merely sighed.

**"Who will be monitoring the teams this year?" Professor Port asked as he played with his mustache, coiling it around his finger before letting it go.**

**"Glynda and I shall be monitoring the teams, while Oobleck will be on hand to retrieve any students who fall unconscious in the forest. I was hoping to leave watching over the students tonight to yourself and Glynda, Peter."**

**Peter Port nodded in agreement, while Glynda rubbed at her forehead and muttered to herself about sleep. Jaune watched for a brief moment before cursing himself as he stepped forwards.**

"So they did have someone to make sure we didn't die," Ruby muttered in revelation.

"Did you think they didn't?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Well, they did let us fight a giant Deathstalker and Giant Nevermore." Ren pointed out.

"It looked like you could handle it," Glynda revealed to them. "We were in constant contact with Oobleck when the two giant Grimm revealed themselves."

**"I'll look after the students tonight with Peter." He spoke, causing everyone to go silent as they turned to face him. Glynda looked surprised, while Peter simply looked amused. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaune noticed Ozpin hiding a small smile behind taking a drink of his coffee. "Peter and I can handle that easily enough I believe, if you're handling initiation tomorrow then you need your rest." He directed the last part towards the blonde woman, who was still looking at him with surprisingly wide eyes before she coughed and righted herself.**

**"I-I would appreciate that if you are certain?" She looked unsure of herself as she said that, but Jaune quickly shook his head in response.**

**"Of course I'm sure. I'm sure Peter will help me if I run into any trouble, right?" He offered to the round man next to him, who nodded his head and patted Jaune on the back with the force of a bear striking him. Jaune staggered forwards slightly as his eyes widened, but managed to not fall over. Holy crap, that was probably going to bruise!**

"What a thoughtful gesture," Glynda muttered glancing at Jaune with a bit more respect. "Thank you, Mr. Arc."

"Professor, I'm sure there's some less altruistic reason this version of Jaune would do that," Weiss mentioned causing Jaune to look a little hurt.

"I don't doubt that, but you shouldn't decline goodwill just because there's something for the other person to gain from it," Glynda advised getting appreciative nods from the others.

**"Absolutely!" Peter bellowed. "Mr. Arc is right, you get your rest, Glynda. We can handle a bunch of rowdy students between the two of us."**

**"That is fine with me. If everything is finished, we can depart?" The Headmaster offered as he swept from the room, with Oobleck following quickly afterward. Glynda paused as she passed in front of Jaune, giving him a suspicious look before looking satisfied and simply nodding.**

**"Thank you, Professor Port, Jaune, I appreciate the help." Before he could respond she had already vanished from the room, leaving just the two men left. Jaune turned to the older man, only to rear back at suddenly finding the teacher standing not six inches in front of him.**

"And so starts the Beacon Rumor Mill," Glynda noted with a tired expression.

"Wait so all the rumors are started by Professor Port?" Yang asked looking amazed.

"He just talks really loudly, about things he really shouldn't be talking about." Glynda corrected half-heartedly.

**"My boy!" The man crowed. "Such diligence and generosity! And to achieve such closeness with Miss Goodwitch so quickly. You are beyond even a true hunter like myself."**

**"Closeness?" Jaune stammered in confusion, before connecting the dots in his mind. "Oh, I just asked her to call me by my first name… I hope you will too?" It felt weird to be called Mr. Arc, all the time, and he had a sinking feeling it would only get worse when the students began calling him that.**

**"Of course my boy, as for Miss Goodwitch well…" He winked at Jaune, or rather lowered one bushy eyebrow and made a clicking noise with his tongue. "I think we've all asked her to call us by our first names, though to no avail eh? But enough of that, let's talk about what we have to do tonight, looking after young hormone driven students trapped in a room together can be tougher than fighting a grown Nevermore with your bare hands. I should know, I've done both, and got the scars from the hormone-driven students to prove it!"**

**And thus Peter Port launched into a tale of explosions, bravery, young women and a brave sterling Adonis known only as… Peter.**

"It can't be that bad," Pyrrha muttered softly.

"What, fighting a nevermore with your bare hands, monitoring a bunch of teenagers sleeping in the same room, or listening to Professor Port talk about himself?" Nora asked getting laughter from the other teens.

"You'd be surprised," Glynda admitted causing the teens to snap their heads towards her. "Every year we have to dismiss about ten to twenty potential students because they couldn't control themselves."

**Yang couldn't help the smile that came over her lips as she listened to her younger sister ranting her frustration at having been abandoned by her earlier. It looked like her gambit to force her sister to make a friend hadn't worked quite as she had planned it. Oh, it had sort of worked. In a hilarious way that was!**

**"And then I found out he was a teacher! I've never been so embarrassed in my life!" The cute young girl moaned as she buried her face into her arms and stifled a loud groan into the fabric of her sleeves.**

**"Aww, don't sweat it, Rubes." Yang tried to comfort, as she patted her sister on the shoulder. "At least you made a good impression, right?" Apparently, those were the wrong words as the girl came back to life, waving her arms about animatedly.**

"You would tease her about this," Blake noted blandly as she rolled her eyes.

"It's my right as an elder sister." Yand defended herself.

Ruby whined loudly while Weiss and Glynda shook their heads. Team JNPR on the other hand just smiled as they watched everything unfold.

**"Oh yeah, sure. Laid out in the middle of the pavement like I'd been hit by a car or something! Great first impression to make to a teacher who could have me expelled. Ughhhhhhh….."**

**"No one's expelling you," Yang replied with a small grin as she rubbed her sister's hair comfortingly. "And besides, it sounds like the two of you got on well enough. A friend's still a friend right?"**

**"I don't think it counts if he's a teacher," Ruby whined while Yang shook her head in amusement. Yeah, it really **_**didn't**_** count if they were teachers, but at the same time this was Ruby, and beggars couldn't be choosers. She'd rather Ruby have an old man as a friend than no friends.**

Glynda adjusted her glasses. "You do know that there is a very long and time-consuming process to expel a student right miss Rose?"

"There is?" Ruby asked looking surprised.

"Yes, we have to prove that the student in question committed an offense bad enough to warrant such action instead of something lesser like detention or suspension."

"Is that why Cardin and his team are still here?" Blake asked seriously.

"Despite what you may think, their bullying mannerisms have lessened since the Forever Fall incident."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Weiss muttered in distaste.

**"What did he look like anyway, he must be pretty short if you thought he was a student." In her mind, she was imagining a small and thin guy, maybe middle aged. Ruby wasn't exactly the best when it came to noticing details so she might have just assumed he was her age. Or well, two years above her age.**

**"Nuh-uh." Ruby shook her head. "He wasn't short, he was over six feet tall. But he definitely looked young, only about as old as you, and he had blonde hair too." Huh, was that so? She doubted he could be seventeen since that would make him a student, but it wasn't impossible that he might be in his mid-twenties.**

**"Was he hot? What was he wearing?" To her amusement, Ruby immediately flushed red and began to stutter her denials, even as her hands clenched at her skirt. Yang's grin widened as she watched Ruby attempt to deny that he was attractive. To Yang's eyes though, it was clear. **_**Someone has a crush! Oh, I am going to milk this…**_

"Miss Xiao-Long." Glynda sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What? I didn't do anything yet!"

" 'Yet' being the keyword," Ren muttered getting a betrayed look from Yang.

"**Of course you don't fancy your teacher Rubes." She drawled, pretending she believed it. "What did he look like then, so I don't call him a student by accident."**

**"Okay… well, he was about six foot two or three. Blonde hair coming down to above his eyes, while he wore a dark blue long coat over a silver breastplate and light blue jeans. He has bright blue eyes and wields a sword and a shield which can collapse into a sheath."**

**Yang's eyes widened at the detailed description. Ruby had remembered all that, and more tellingly, had identified his weapons and remembered them. It was official. Her little sister had the hots for the teacher. Letting her sister talk for a little longer, Yang strained her eyes to try and find anyone matching that description, but could only see a few guys wrestling in a rather blatant attempt to catch her attention. Seriously… such children… Like she was going to be interested in muscle-bound idiots who were acting like twelve-year-olds… if they liked grappling so much then they could have each other.**

"Ruby wasn't that bad was she?" Jaune asked curiously causing Ruby to deny it immediately while Yang did the opposite.

"I seem to remember you appreciating the view," Blake noted poking her partner in the side.

"Hey if they want to put on a free show I'll watch, but that doesn't mean I'm interested." Yang countered getting a shrug from the Faunus.

**"And then I tripped over this crabby girl's luggage!" Ruby whined, waving her arms at Yang, even as her own lilac eyes began to take notice of a white-haired girl walking up to them, a determined expression on her face. Yang tilted her head to the side in question.**

**"YOU!"**

**"Eep!" Ruby screamed as she leapt into Yang's arms, causing her knees to buckle as she quickly adapted to holding her sister's frame. "Oh God, it's happening again!"**

"Ah, this part…" Weiss muttered remembering how childish she must have acted.

"Not our best." Ruby agreed looking embarrassed.

**"Do you even realize how much danger you caused?" The white-haired girl accused as she prodded a finger dangerously close to her little sister's face. Despite herself, Yang felt her temper begin to flare, even as Ruby climbed out of her arms. Before she could react, however, a door opening caught her attention, especially when a large round man entered with a blonde teen next to him. Yang's lilac eyes zeroed in on him instantly as her mind connected the dots. An **_**adult**_** here had to be a teacher… and this tall blonde guy was obviously the other teacher. This was the guy her little sister had the hots for!**

**She couldn't make out too many details from this distance, but he definitely looked like her sister had described, with his tall frame and messy blonde hair. She had to say he cut a rather dangerous figure, and the fact that he was apparently skilled enough to be a teacher at such a young age certainly helped his image. He seemed to be chatting with the older man, both of them appearing to be friendly colleagues, if not good friends themselves. That made it official in her mind.**

**"-caused an explosion!" A shrill voice drew her attention back to the argument taking place before her, even as Ruby looked down at her feet for a moment. Oh wow, her sister really **_**had**_** exploded? Awesome!**

"I remember fixing that crater," Glynda muttered with a twitch in her eyes. "That was you two?" she asked dangerously as she glanced at the red and white of team RWBY.

Both girls froze under Glynda's gaze while the others all subconsciously moved away from the pair.

**"Calm down now," Yang ordered, holding back her temper now that she knew the teachers were present. Even so, she took a step between the girl and Ruby just in case. "I don't know who you are bu-"**

**"Another idiot who doesn't know who I am?" The rude girl interrupted as she rolled her eyes in an overly dramatic manner. "I am Weiss Schnee, Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company… really do you people know nothing?"**

_**Your name will be `casualty` if you try that again.**_** Yang growled to herself as her eyes flared red before she forced them back to lilac. From the corner of her vision she could see the blonde teacher approaching them, no doubt drawn to the commotion. Grinning to herself she decided to get her own revenge on the little snot.**

"Weiss…" Yang warned as her eyes flashed red for but a second.

"Let's calm down Yang." Weiss urged backing up a bit. "This was all in the past, let bygones be bygones."

**"Well, maybe you and Ruby got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you try and be friends?"**

**"Great idea Yang, my name's Ruby. Let's be friends!" Her peppy little sister greeted as she held out a hand to be shaken. The Schnee heiress however just swung her arms sarcastically.**

**"Oh yeah, and we can go shopping, and paint our nails. And talk about boys like tall, blonde and scraggly." She said this while pointing at the teacher, who was now stood right behind the heiress. She sighed dramatically and span to face him, presumably giving him an evil glare. "Do you have nothing better to do than come over here and interrupt me?"**

"Oof, bad move Weiss." Blake winced slightly.

"It's not like I could know he was a teacher." Weiss pointed out. "He looks our age."

"Admittedly the clothing does make him look a little more mature," Pyrrha confessed as she blushed a little when Glynda looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

**Yang's grin widened to epic proportions.**

**The tall man's eyes narrowed briefly, while his brows drew down in a stern expression, even while Ruby finally noticed who it was and let out a startled "eep" from beside Yang.**

**"Heya **_**Professor**_**." Yang greeted with an easy wave and a subtle emphasis on his title, causing the white-haired girl to freeze.**

"How dastardly of you Yang!" Nora crowed while Ren rolled his eyes.

"Don't encourage her Nora." Ren chastised as he calmly placed a hand on Nora's shoulder.

**"Good afternoon, I hope you students are having a… **_**calm…**_** day?" Oh, he looked ticked alright, though definitely not at her or Ruby, which was a plus in her book. She'd had enough of teachers who seemed to just throw everyone involved into the guilty pile, even when they had seen the entire incident themselves.**

**"P-professor?" The white-haired heiress muttered in surprise and possibly horror as she turned to look at the young man. "You?"**

**"Indeed. Me." The man replied with an arched eyebrow. "I am Professor Jaune Arc of Beacon Academy. But enough about me, let's talk about **_**you.**_** Like how about how you're going to stop causing an argument before I have to take this any further?"**

"Wow, Jaune, you really did sound like a teacher right there." Ruby giggled in delight causing Glynda the faintest of smiles.

"Calm, collected, and not allowing the students time to talk back. Good work Mr. Arc." She praised him.

"You're making me blush." The Arc whined softly as his face reddened.

**"O-of course! My apologies Professor Arc." The girl apologized quickly while curtseying in embarrassment. Yang couldn't help but stick her tongue out to spite the girl, enjoying the irritation on her face at seeing the gesture. The man's blue eyes met her own before she could retract it, however, and for a moment she froze with her tongue still sticking out from between her lips, waiting for him to comment on it.**

**"Sis!" Ruby hissed as she elbowed Yang harshly, causing her to retract her tongue before she bit it off from the shock.**

**"Regardless." The man continued, sparing Yang an amused glance before turning back to the Schnee girl. "The term hasn't even started so I don't want to ruin my day with a discipline issue this quickly, why don't you find somewhere to rest."**

**"Of course, sir. I am **_**so**_** sorry!" He waved her off as the girl fled, a blush of embarrassment on her face at having been called out so early.**

"Wow Weiss, way to kiss up." Yang drawled causing Weiss to flush angrily.

"Shut up Yang."

"Eloquent."

"Sometimes things need to be blunt and hammered in."

**"Well, that's sorted." The man spoke to himself as he turned to face them. Yang felt something jostle her for a moment before she looked down to see that Ruby had half-hidden herself behind Yang. **_**D'awwwww!**_** She cooed in her mind.**

**"Are you two okay?" He asked, his voice was calmer now and the timbre of it did make Yang thing he was around their age. He must be skilled indeed to be a teacher.**

**"Thanks to you, yeah. Thanks for the save Prof." She grinned at the man, subtly noticing that he was a little bit taller than herself which was a nice feeling. While she liked her height, it was sometimes a bit awkward being taller than most guys.**

"It really is adorable." Glynd mused. "Like a small puppy."

"I'm right here you know!" Ruby complained with a dark red face.

Yang grinned and ruffled her hair causing Ruby to hiss at her, "But seriously it really is nice meeting someone taller than me."

"Are you saying you follow that whole 'a girl needs to be smaller than her man' line of thinking?" Nora gagged at the thought.

"You don't get to talk." Yang countered poking Nora in the chest. "You're already smaller than your man."

"We're not together-together." She whined which no one other than Ren believed

**"From what I saw, I'm not sure if I saved you or her." He replied as he looked her in the eyes for a few moments, causing a knowing grin to come to Yang's lips. Yeah, she'd been close to just smacking the little girl. "Outside of lessons please feel free to call me Jaune, Professor makes me feel quite old."**

**"Sure thing, **_**Jaune**_**." She whispered his name out in a sultry manner as she stepped away from her sister and placed a hand flat on the man's upper chest. Her lilac eyes looked into his, hoping to see some kind of blush or similar, but instead, he simply raised an eyebrow. "My name's Yang Xiao-Long, but you can call me Yang. I hear you know my sister Ruby."**

**"We've met yes. Thank you for keeping me company earlier Ruby."**

"Ooooh, no reaction?" Yang licked her lips "Those are the most fun to tease." Glynda palmed her face in exasperation.

"Something wrong professor?" Ruby asked innocently.

"Just…remembering when I was a teenager," Glynda admitted at length. "I hate admitting it, but I made Miss Xiao-Long look like the picture of innocence."

There was a stunned silence as the teens looked at their teacher oddly. "I can't imagine it." Weiss finally admitted for all of them.

"And you won't unless you want to serve detention with me for the rest of your time as a student." That shut them up as they all frantically looked away from the now irate Glynda Goodwitch.

**"No problem." The smaller girl whispered back as she waved shyly at him. Yang watched his face carefully but was pleased to see just a small amount of confusion in his eyes, rather than any lecherous expression. It seemed he hadn't realized that Ruby liked him, which was probably for the best. Even so, she'd best get his attention away from Ruby before he did catch on. While she was keen to tease Rubes to high Heaven about this, she didn't want the guy to notice and maybe take advantage of her cute sibling.**

**"Hmmm… so you helped out my little sister too? I think that deserved a reward…" She let the last bit trail off as she stepped closer to him, only a few scant inches between her breasts and his chest as she looked up into his face. To her surprised delight the man simply raised a single eyebrow as he looked down on her.**

**"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about Miss Xiao-Long." The man whispered back as he smiled and leaned towards her, before turning and walking slowly away, not once looking back at her stunned expression.**

"You know… I bet he's terrified of her." Nora mentioned as she looked through the scene a few more times.

"Sounds likely." Ren agreed. "He may be pretending to be a teacher, but at his core, he is a seventeen-year-old who was looking forward to the opportunity to meet a girl and fall in love."

"Was he given anything when he took the job?" Glynda questioned, trying to identify how such a timid person could act so confidently.

"The you in the story gave him some teaching manuals and your own personal tips for maintaining order and discipline," Weiss informed her causing Glynda to nod her head.

"That explains why he managed to keep himself together." She mused getting curious looks from her students.

**Smooth, confident, and he knew how to play the game? Oh yeah… she was going to have **_**fun**_** with this one! School had just become that **_**much**_** more interesting.**

**Now if only Ruby would stop kicking the back of her legs angrily.**

**Jaune kept his eyes firmly locked forwards as he forced his wobbly legs to carry him away from Ruby and her… sister. Her **_**older**_** sister, her much more **_**developed**_** sister. Good Gods, that woman… he didn't know whether he was supposed to be scared or aroused, but he definitely knew which one he was feeling.**

_**Down boy! DOWN!**_** He begged within his mind, thanking his new coat for being able to hide his lower body from view. Sure it was a biological reaction, but he was fairly sure teachers weren't supposed to pitch a tent when talking to their students. Then again, students weren't meant to flirt so blatantly with their teachers either.**

Yang grinned seeing the effect she had on Jaune. "Saw something you like Jaune?" she asked striking a stereotypical sexy pose.

Jaune snorted a bit at that. "Yang, if we talk about looks alone there is nothing anyone could ever complain about you."

As Yang preened at the praise Weiss saw between the lines. "Implying that there are other things one could complain about." Yang frowned before glaring at Jaune.

"I didn't say anything." He waved his hands before his face as Glynda and the others rolled their eyes at the byplay.

**And there was the other problem. A girl had flirted with him! A drop-dead sexy girl who was surely so far out of his league it wasn't funny. And he couldn't do anything about it – because she was his student!**

_**Gahhhh!**_** His mind screamed in agony. If only he'd got in as a student he might have had a chance, for God's sake, why was life so unfair!? Instead, he'd been forced to turn tail and flee from her advances, a move which had probably **_**really**_** impressed her. Yep, guy runs away from flirting. Very sexy.**

**He'd just wanted to help out his new friend Ruby… though that friendship was probably going to be tenuous now, judging by how the girl had acted. Peter had agreed, saying Jaune should show his authority to stop the argument from coming to blows.**

"That's where you're wrong Jaune." Yang slapped him on the back with a laugh. "It didn't _look_ like you ran away to me."

"It didn't?" Jaune questioned unable to comprehend what else it could be taken as.

"It looks like you were playing hard to get," Blake added in with a thoughtful expression.

**So he'd steeled his nerves wandered over just in time to hear himself being insulted… and almost crapped himself when the white-haired girl had given him a glare cold enough to freeze his lungs.**

_**At least I managed to force something out… and it seemed to work.**_** Which was a miracle in and of itself. Honestly, it looked more like the girl was trying to avoid getting in trouble, but it still meant he had solved the problem as a teacher would. And if he had to rely on threats of detention to get his point across? Well, that was fine with him.**

**As long as he never had to handle the detention itself… Maybe that was left to Miss Goodwitch? **_**That would certainly convince the students never to get detention again.**_

All eyes turned to Glynda who raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Yes?" she eventually asked since she wasn't getting a verbal response.

**"Well handled my boy." Peter congratulated as Jaune finally made his way back to the wall the large man was leaning against, accepting a cup of coffee handed to him. Taking a deep sip, he was surprised to note just how nice the coffee at Beacon was.**

**"I didn't really do anything." Jaune waved the compliment away but was secretly pleased to have confirmation that he was doing things like he was supposed to. One of the tips on Glynda's cheat sheet had been to never show fear or uncertainty in front of a student, and it had seemed to work wonders here. "But at least it was sorted out."**

**"Indeed lad. And the important thing is that the students learn who you are, and what you are." That was a good point he supposed, and again he was pleasantly surprised by how intelligent the large man actually was. "Looks like the kids are getting ready for bed." He added, pointing his mug in a direction that Jaune followed.**

"It really is good coffee." Weiss agreed who heartedly while Blake waved her hand in a so-so gesture.

"How can you stand that muck?" Yang asked while sticking out her tongue in disgust.

"It's an acquired taste," Glynda admitted simply. "I never developed a taste for it myself."

Ren nodded his head. "Herbal teas suit my palate far better." He added in getting an appreciative nod from Glynda.

_**Ughh….**_** And had his mind instantly let out a tortured death whine at seeing the creamy white legs of a redheaded woman changing into her pajamas, right at the moment she bent over, granting him a perfect image of her toned rear and black underwear. **_**It's official… I'm doomed.**_

**His blue eyes trailed a little further, seeing a few other young, and very fit, girls slipping into sleeping clothes. Oh, nothing was really shown bar the brief flashes of underwear… but it was enough to keep his attention locked. It didn't surprise him in the least that he caught a few other guys watching along with him.**

**"I-is it wise to have guys and girls change in front of each other like this!?" Jaune stuttered out with a loud gulp as he forced more coffee down his throat, and importantly cut off his vision with the dark liquid and bright white mug.**

"Wow Pyrrha, pretty racy." Nora laughed loudly as the Champion's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I'm surprised, considering your personality I thought it'd be either blue or white," Weiss admitted with an apologetic shrug. "I didn't think you'd be that bold."

"Yang, why is black underwear considered bold?" Ruby asked looking lost and confused. "I mean, it's just a color right?"

"Black is… considered a classic color." Yang began as she tried to think of the words while looking around for help. To her dismay, her friends just smiled and waved at her, while Glynda watched with interest to see how Yang would handle it. "It's safe, almost never bad from a fashion point of view. The statement black gives really depends on the type of clothing, black laced underwear might be considered bold and daring, but black briefs wouldn't raise any eyebrows at all."

"Daring?" Ruby asked not quite understanding.

Yang groaned "It's… uh… usually used to denote that the girl wearing them is open to the idea of sexual encounters or that they like being prepared in case someone they might be interested in tries to get into their pants."

"I… don't get it."

"Miss Rose, did you attend health education in Signal?" Glynda asked coming to Yang's rescue since she had given what most would consider ample hints for what Ruby had initially asked.

"Yeah, about drugs, alcohol and how babies are made right?" Ruby questioned not quite making the connection.

"Do you know about sex without the intent of pregnancy?"

"That it should only be had between two people who love each other very much."

Glynda frowned "Than I don't know what you don't understand about any of this."

"I don't get how the color black corresponds to any of that." Ruby frowned. "I mean all my underwear is either black, red, or character prints." Jaune and Ren coughed once to remind them that they were present.

"Ah, you're just one of those types who only buys to her own color scheme or for comfort while ignoring the possible meanings behind things." Glynda nodded her head in understanding.

"That's mean…"

**"Ho? Well, this is as much a test as the initiation of my boy. A hunter must be disciplined. There is a reason the two of us are here after all." Jaune coughed loudly as the man slapped another bear paw into his back, drawing someone nearby people's attention to the pair. A few students pointed at him before turning to their fellows, no doubt trying to figure out who he was. He supposed they would learn sooner or later. "I suppose some of these students are close to your age aren't they, my boy. Don't let Glynda catch you looking." The man added as he laughed loudly at Jaune's expense.**

**Oh, Gods… he could just imagine if Glynda Goodwitch caught him flirting with a student or similar, that was probably so far against the rules that she would skin him alive and use him as a tapestry for her office.**

**"I can control my hormones if I have to," Jaune replied, in what was possibly the **_**biggest **_**falsehood he had told since arriving, especially considering what said hormones were doing right at this moment. **_**Calm… it will be easier when this is over and they have their own rooms…**_

_**Please, sir… I'm late on my homework… perhaps you could accept something else…**_

"Head in the gutter?" Ren asked looking at Jaune with a mirth-filled expression.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that outlook on how I'd handle things," Glynda admitted with narrowed eyes. "I would not turn you into a tapestry Jaune, that's just barbaric."

"But you would skin him?" Yang asked with a horror-filled look.

"Metaphorically of course."

**"-aune. Jaune!? You there my boy?" A voice broke into his daydream as he shook his head and turned to look at his fellow professor.**

**"Heh?" He answered back stupidly, hoping he wasn't bleeding from his nose like a poor quality anime character or something.**

**"I said `it looks like your group is acting up again,` you might want to sort them out." Jaune followed the man's gaze to see that once again Ruby, Yang, and the white-haired girl were shouting at one another. Though this time they were doing so besides a wall where a black-haired girl with a bow was resting.**

Team RWBY just groaned it was like this story just wanted to bring up all these embarrassing memories!

**"Again?" Jaune simply whined as he pushed himself off the wall. Beside him, Peter snorted in amusement.**

**"It's difficult to quell the spirits of a huntress-in-training. Though sometimes we must try for the sake of peace. Remember my boy, they have claws!"**

**"Sure. If I look like I'm about to die come help me." Jaune sighed back, smiling as he got a short laugh from the man. It was strange to imagine that out of a room full of teenagers his own age, he was becoming fast friends with a man who looked to easily be over forty.**

Glynda snorted "He still hasn't forgotten that one girl who clawed his face when he had to pull her off her soon to be ex-boyfriend."

"What was her name?" Blake asked curiously since it kind of sounded like a cat Faunus.

"Kali." Glynda sighed sadly. "Unfortunately she didn't complete her training, some things came up on the home front for her and she had to drop out."

"Oh yeah…" Blake mumbled causing Glynda to raise an eyebrow. "I think she mentioned having to give up being a huntress when Grandpa died so she could look after Grandma who was sick at the time."

Glynda hummed in thought. "It's good to hear that she's doing well. And that she managed to find a man before I could…" her eyes twitched a bit at the thought.

**"I was always on your side!" Ruby shouted loudly as Jaune approached, taking a few quick moments to address the scene. It literally was the exact same culprits again, though they were now dressed in revealing night clothes. Thank God for Ruby, who was simply dressed in a cute pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top. He keenly made sure to keep his eyes away from the blonde haired girl's legs, though he noticed her lips twist into an evil smirk when saw him approaching. Though whether that was because she could tease him, or just because he was about to tell the white-haired girl off **_**again**_** was uncertain.**

**"Okay-okay. Break it up, ladies." He instructed as he casually walked between the four of them, though one was hardly a combatant, buried in her book as she was.**

**Once again the white-haired girl's eyes widened in sudden fear at seeing him, and her mouth shut with a loud click as she waited to be told off. Jaune sucked in a breath and let it out in a long sigh. He really didn't want to be telling someone off twice in a single night, when they hadn't been to any lessons yet… he was going to get a bad reputation at this rate.**

"Wow, you really care about how the teachers see you," Yang muttered while glancing at Weiss.

"It wouldn't do for a Schnee to have less than stellar marks in school both academically and behaviorally." Weiss countered with a practiced response.

**"I don't know who started this." He instead spoke to all of them, making sure to look into Ruby's eyes as she cast her gaze down in slight shame. The white-haired girl did the same, though she looked to the side awkwardly. The blonde demon simply shuffled on her feet a little, but still grinned challengingly as he looked into her eyes. The final girl still didn't look up from her book, apparently happy to assume he wasn't telling her off.**

**Well… she was right, he supposed.**

**"But I am finishing it. I win, everyone loses. Go to sleep." Jaune was surprised to hear a few muffled giggles from people around them at his words, even as the three being told off blushed a little. The white-haired one was the first to leave, nodding respectfully at Jaune before storming away in definite anger. He hoped he hadn't made an enemy there.**

"Night Daddy!" Yang sang causing Jaune to groan loudly as he covered his face with his hands.

"Miss Xiao-Long please refrain from doing that again," Glynda ordered as she adjusted her glasses. "Definitely Taiyang's kid." She muttered under her breath.

**Ruby at least was easier to read. She looked up at him uncertainly, and he eased her concern by giving her a quick smile and a small shrug back to her as if to say **_**sorry, it's my job.**_** She seemed to understand him, nodding and smiling as she wandered back to her sleeping area.**

**"Heh, I'll win next time prof." Yang quipped as she winked at him salaciously before wandering after her sister, though he definitely noticed the swaying of her rear in her tight sleeping shorts. **_**God damn…**_

**Finally, he turned to the quiet girl who was sat against the wall, noticing for the first time that she was wearing a sleeping yukata that left her long legs free to his vision. **_**And what nice legs those are- NO! BAD!**_

Blake glanced down at her legs curiously "Huh, I never really thought about them that way." She mused aloud. "What do you guys think, my legs look good?"

"Blake you're a walking fetish as it is." Yang drawled causing the Faunus to blush brightly. "I mean, you're a cat-girl, ninja-like, athletic, firm toned ass, and you can tie people up with your weapon."

"Put in that manner, you really do sound like a fetishist's dream," Pyrrha admitted while apologizing.

"How do you know what my butt is like?" Blake asked with narrowed eyes.

"We live in the same room Blake, we're bound to see all of each other eventually."

**Seriously though… did she have to sit with her legs propped up like that, as if tempting him to try and follow the curves up towards-**

**"It will be lights out soon, I would find a place to stop." He instead interrupted himself before his mind and eyes could lead him into any further trouble. For the first time, the girl turned her attention away from her book, meeting his eyes with bright yellow orbs that caught him off guard for a moment. What an unusual color…**

**"Thank you." She spoke simply, her voice soft but pleasant. Jaune simply smiled back and nodded before walking away.**

**Frankly, he couldn't wait to get this night over so he could stop being taunted by all these beautiful girls in their night clothes… why couldn't they wear something more conservative!? Like his onesie…**

"Please don't remind me about that thing." Weiss groaned as she rubbed her eyes. "It was hideous."

"Hey!" Jaune whined, "It's comfortable!"

"It's childish." Blake pointed out. "Not even Ruby would wear something like that."

"Come on, you too Blake?" Jaune griped as he looked for help.

"Mr. Arc, I think you should give up." Glynda nodded her head. "Only little kids should have onesies."

"See even Miss Goddwitch agrees!" Yang shouted causing Jaune to sulk while Pyrrha patted his shoulders comfortingly.

* * *

**(TO BE CONTINUED)**

Next chapter June 3


	4. Reading chapter 4

The next chapter of RWBY reads Professor Arc!

* * *

(BREAK)

Glynda checked her watch as Fox pulled up the Professor Arc book once more. "I believe I have time for one more chapter before I need to return to work." She informed him getting a nod in return.

"Won't you get stuck in whichever room you used to enter here if you leave without us, Professor?" Ren questioned curiously.

"Then you will all simply have to leave with me for a bit," Glynda stated with an air of finality. "It will only take me ten minutes to return to my office if nothing requires my attention along the way back to my quarters. "Besides I'm sure a bit of exercise, food, and study would do you some good anyway."

The two teams shared looks with each other conceding the point to the teacher. "Alright, that sounds like a good idea." Weiss agreed for the teams getting nods of acceptance from her friends. Fox smiled lightly as he began to read.

**Jaune yawned blearily as he watched the students begin to stumble to their feet, the early risers already making their way out of the showering rooms with a vigor that made him want to cry. His eyes were fighting a losing battle for wakefulness, and his legs had given up on him hours ago.**

**When he'd offered to take this responsibility away from Miss Goodwitch he had been expecting a number of things. Firstly that it would help her, and thus would ingratiate himself with her. She was his best source of information and advice at this academy, and he could honestly say his best supporter. Beyond that, he had hoped to take what he knew would be a relatively simple task, lest the Headmaster assign him something else, something that he might **_**not**_** have been able to handle.**

**Either way, he'd expected to have to watch a few students get ready for bed, maybe sort out some arguments at the **_**worst**_**, and then catch some rest himself.**

Glynda snorted causing the teens to look at her in surprise. "Oh, the things we do for the students that they don't even know about." She mused aloud causing the students to shuffle in their seats uncomfortably.

"Was there someone overwatching us the day before initiation?" Pyrrha questioned trying to recall.

"There was," Glynda assured her. "We even had to stop a couple who were starting to get… frisky."

"Oh…"

_**Oh, you poor fool.**_** His treacherous ego tormented in a sing-song voice. **_**Watching the students was the job... how can you watch them if you're sleeping?**_

**He and Port had been forced to remain awake, **_**all night**_**. Every single minute while 99.9% of the student body slumbered away, on the **_**off-chance**_** that one of them might wake up and try something stupid.**

**What, he didn't know. They were hardly going to try and do something illegal in a room full of trained combatants who could wake up at the slightest noise of struggle. Perhaps it was more in case any new lovebirds decided to get a little **_**cozy**_** during the night.**

Jaune winced at the thought. "This brings back memories of home." He admitted causing the others to look at him in confusion. "The walls back home were kind of… thin," he informed them getting understanding nods from most of his friends while Ruby looked confused.

"Why does that matter?" Ruby asked curiously getting a groan from the blonde knight while Yang rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as Blake elbowed her harshly.

Pyrrha, bless her soul, pulled Ruby aside in order to explain things while Fox continued to read.

**None had.**

**Not a single person had woken up for so much as a bathroom break, leaving Peter and him to sit leaning against a wall for a few hours, before both giving up on that and finding some chairs. His only companion the lingering tales of Peter in his youth, which had become less and less boisterous as the night went on.**

**Even Peter had begun to lose interest it seemed.**

"Night watch, something I don't miss at all," Blake muttered with a groan.

"I can imagine." Ren agreed as he rolled his shoulder a little feeling a little stiff from leaning on it for so long in the last reading.

**"Soon lad..." The older teacher mumbled as he too rubbed at his eyes. At least his tiredness seemed to be hidden behind his thick brows and long mustache. But Jaune was beginning to see the signs in him too. "Soon it'll all be over... and then... sleep."**

**"I cannot wait." He yawned back. His eyes picked out the figure of Ruby Rose from last night, who was making her way into the women's bathrooms to shower and change. Somehow it didn't surprise him at all to see her so energetic, nor to see her blonde sister look like a zombie as she followed her. He could relate.**

**"Why don't you get some breakfast Jaune." Peter offered as he nodded in the direction of the cafeteria where a few students were heading. "A quick meal and some coffee might wake you up."**

"Sounds about right," Yang mumbled as she rolled her eyes. "I do not understand how Ruby can wake up so early every day."

"It must be the sugar." Weiss agreed tiredly while Blake nodded in agreement.

A quick glance at their leader revealed the girl hiding within her hood while Pyrrha shot them an apologetic look. "What did you even tell her?" Blake asked looking confused.

"Just the truth."

"Ruby…" Blake sighed as Yang and Weiss shared a look. "You're fifteen not five."

**"Are you sure?" He asked uncertainly, while the offer did sound tempting, he was loathe to abandon his new brother-in-arms to the waking horde.**

**"You've done enough my boy. Besides, the students in the cafeteria might need watching too." The man winked at him as he said that, and Jaune let a small grin to come to his face at the sneakiness.**

**"Right you are. Wouldn't want them to fall prey to a rogue bagel." He joked back and was pleased to see the man laugh in response.**

"Rogue bagel…" Nora giggled lightly

"It is nice to see some camaraderie between co-workers," Ren mentioned with a small smile as he allowed Nora to hug him in her excitement.

**"Ask for a teacher's coffee!" Peter whispered to him before he could leave, a serious expression on his face. "But let no one hear you."**

**"Umm.. okay?" He shrugged as the older man let go of him and ushered him away. Jaune was quick to take the signal. His body craved nourishment almost as much as sleep, it had been over twelve hours since his last meal.**

**The Beacon cafeteria was a stately hall. With large oaken doors, and tall ornate windows along an entire wall. Long wooden tables made the room look orderly and incredibly long. From the entrance, he could make out a number of serving stations with cooks bustling away in sight, but there were also numerous vending machines dotted around the hall as well.**

"Huh, nothing too different than ours," Jaune muttered drawing a comparison between the two versions of the cafeteria.

"Well, not everything will have a significant difference," Glynda mentioned with a small roll of her eyes.

_**I suppose I should get a coffee as Peter said...**_** He thought to himself as he wandered towards one of the empty stations. He wasn't a particular fan of the thick drink, finding it disgusting, but the caffeine would certainly be appreciated right now.**

**"What can I get you." The large man dressed in white asked in a friendly manner as he smiled at Jaune. Before him was a few plates arranged out, with various cooked meats and eggs, along with other fruits and bakery products.**

**"I'll just have some fruit and bread." Jaune shrugged as he helped himself to one of the plates, and also added some jam to a bowl for himself. "Just finished working the shift watching the students and I don't think I can handle anything bigger."**

"I actually like coffee." Jaune pointed out as Ruby slowly came out of her hooded shell only to make a face of disgust at him. "What?" he asked defensively.

"Gross." Ruby made a face at him causing the rest of their friends to laugh.

**"Oh, you're the new teacher!" The large man laughed. "The graveyard shift is always the hardest I hear. Hey..." The man whispered as he looked left and right before leaning in. Mind still half-clouded by lack of sleep, Jaune didn't see anything particularly wrong with the idea of leaning his face close to a stranger who was wielding a kitchen knife, and so dipped himself forwards. Thankfully death was not his immediate reward.**

**"You looking for a special brew?" The cook asked, in the manner, one might if they were looking to offload some particularly volatile contraband.**

**"A teacher's coffee?" Jaune guessed, hoping it wasn't anything more incriminating. The cook shushed him loudly but nodded. "I'll take one, yeah. I could use the caffeine."**

Glynda's eyes began to twitch as the students slowly moved their seats away from her. "When I get my hands on that man." She muttered angrily.

"I… uh take it you don't approve?" Weiss hesitated as Glynda turned her attention towards the heiress.

"No… I do not."

**"I hear you. I'll be back in a second, wait here." The man quickly vanished into a side room as Jaune sat waiting, idly nibbling on a croissant to sate his stomach before it could eat his spine. A few moments later the man came out, walking slowly as he balanced something before him. "Here you go. And remember... keep it secret, keep it safe."**

**"… Thanks..." The blonde mumbled as he walked away, wondering exactly what he'd gotten himself into. The coffee looked the same as any other, a brown so dark it was close to black with a lighter edge where it hugged the white rim. He didn't think Peter Port would honestly trick him into taking anything illegal though, so perhaps it was just something heavily caffeinated, that they didn't really want to give to teenagers. It kind of made sense.**

**Finding an empty table was easy enough given how early it was, and he settled himself down before immediately lathering an overly indulgent amount of jam onto his croissant and biting into it with gusto. The food was wonderful, still warm and fresh from baking. In the back of his mind, he questioned if the late wakers would even experience the true beauty of it, before dismissing it as unimportant. **_**He**_** was experiencing it.**

"I actually like that the reasoning is believable," Pyrrha admitted with a small smile.

"The author is good at depicting a normal thought process rather than copping out with some generic feel-good mood." Yang nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I mean I know these are all from other worlds and the like, but it's nice to see someone able to depict the actions in a believable manner," Blake muttered with a smile.

_**Still... time to try this... special brew...**_** He thought to himself as he lifted the cup in front of his eyes challengingly. The white porcelain offered no answers. No clues, and no hint of the possibilities that lay within.**

**Because it was a mug.**

**Sighing he lifted it back and took a long sip.**

**Before the world exploded.**

As one everyone felt their eyebrows raise in alarm as the image within their minds was overcome with a bright light that blocked off all details. "What the hell," Yang muttered subconsciously rubbing her eyes.

"That is really bright," Ruby whined as everyone began to rub their eyes.

**Ghostly arms settled around him, the warmth of his mother hugging him from behind as she whispered into his ears that it would **_**all be okay Jaune.**_** The fresh breeze of the morning seemed to break through stone and glass to invade his nostrils and invigorate him, even as the muted noise from the students was erased.**

**Bird song. There was so much, they were so high in the air, and the birds had found Beacon to be a home. Their morning trilling filled him with an inner peace that was hard to describe in words. It was an epiphany, as though he had realized the meaning of it all, and was able to block out all distraction. No worries for the future, or the past. Only the beauty of the now.**

**A tear of happiness pooled in the corner of one eye, before slowly trailing down his cheek before hanging there, forgotten.**

"What is in that?" Blake muttered dazedly as she witnessed the pure bliss the coffee invoked in the alternate version of Jaune.

"Can we get some?" Weiss asked nervously as she shot Glynda a wary look.

"I'm afraid not, I do not know the secret ingredient," Fox admitted with a shake of his head to the disappointment of the coffee drinkers in the room.

**"HIYA!" A voice screamed from nearby, causing him to rear back as his peace crashed into a million pieces around him. Instinctively his hands formed a protective barrier around the ambrosia, and he shifted his body in preparation to throw himself in front of whatever might seek to hurt it.**

**"Umm..." The voice, which he could now recognize as female asked, as he looked up to see an orange-haired girl clutching a plate of pancakes staring at him. She looked vaguely confused. "Did you just hiss at me?" She asked.**

**"You must have imagined it." Jaune deflected, unsure of what he had actually done from being brought out of his happy place. Idly his eyes glanced down to see that his mug was empty, when had he drunk it all!?**

"Way to go Nora." Yang drawled getting a gasp from Nora.

"You can't prove it's me!" she accused pointing a finger at Yang.

"Really? You're saying you wouldn't do that?" she asked gesturing towards the book.

"I would, but I'm not the only one!" Nora retorted getting a shrug from Ren.

"She's not wrong." He pointed out.

**"Okay!" The girl cheered as she plopped down opposite him, waving to her companion to do the same. He was an exotic looking man with pink eyes and jet black hair, though he had a lock of pink hair running through it. "My name's Nora, and this is my best friend Ren! But we're not together-"**

**"Thank you, Nora." Ren interrupted before the girl could continue on. "Lie Ren, and this is Nora Valkyrie. I understand you're one of the Professors here. Good morning to you."**

**"And yourself. The name's Jaune Arc, you can call me Jaune outside of class." He offered with a shrug, helping himself to another generous slice of croissant. The student, Ren, nodded in thanks but didn't say anything as he started to eat his own breakfast. Jaune's eyes were briefly brought back to the orange haired girl as she stabbed her fork into what looked like a stack of eight pancakes, before lifting the **_**entire**_** stack up as one. She then proceeded to bite into it like the sugariest ice-cream in history.**

_**O-kayyyy...**_

"You were saying?" Ruby asked raising an eyebrow.

"Why is Ruby the one giving me sass?" Nora questioned getting an offended look from Ruby while the others laughed.

Glynda sighed "Miss Valkyrie, your eating habits are as atrocious as ever I see." She muttered with a suffering sigh.

"Professor Goodwitch, I've given up on trying to correct her." Ren apologized softly as Nora just laughed it all off.

**"Forgive me if this sounds rude." Ren interrupted, dragging Jaune's attention away from the impressive spectacle in front of him. "But you seem quite young, how did you come to be a teacher here?"**

**"Chance more than anything." Jaune offered with a small smile, internally wondering how much he could give, both to protect himself, but also to play along with Ozpin's scheme of not appearing too inexperienced. "I'm 20 years old, and was invited to teach here by the Headmaster." Perhaps that was enough to say here if they had any further questions then they would need to seek answers from the Headmaster himself, which he doubted they would try.**

**"You must be super-strong then!" The girl crowed as she invaded his personal bubble, leaning across the table. Where had the pancakes gone, she couldn't have eaten them all, surely!? "Can we spar some time Jauney!"**

"She could, I've seen it." Ren corrected as Jaune and Pyrrha shivered.

"We have too, Ren." Jaune reminded his friend.

"Oh, I don't know if this version of Jaune would survive a spar with Nora right now." Ruby pointed out getting looks of worry from those around her.

"Oh god, what if I kill fearless leader?" Nora gasped in horror as her mind naturally went down the rabbit hole it had presented to itself.

Jaune sighed but calmly slapped a hand onto Nora's back. "Breathe!" he ordered as she quickly realized I was all in her mind and took deep calming breaths.

"I'm good, I'm good." She muttered as she held a hand to her chest.

**"Professor Jaune." The polite boy corrected as he took a sip of orange juice.**

**"What I said!"**

**"Perhaps when you're a little more experienced, Nora." Jaune simply offered with a smile, sweating a little inside at the idea of fighting this crazy girl. Maybe by that time, he could become more experienced himself!**

Glynda just covered her face with her hands. "I can't believe you've made it this far." She muttered causing Jaune to share a look with his partner who gave him an unsure shrug.

**"Well of course!" The girl agreed, as though his comment was the most obvious she had heard in her life "There's no way I could beat a teacher now, but just you wait!"**

**"Sorry about Nora, she is always like this." The more taciturn boy apologized as he nodded at Jaune. In return Jaune just smiled and shook his head.**

**"It's fine. I'm not above casual conversation with students." Quite the opposite, he complained in his own mind... these people were of his own age group, they could have been his best friends or his teammates... this Nora could have been his... No. That thought made him feel unsafe. Friends, and teammates, that sounded better.**

"Geez, not even teammates and this version of Vomit Boy knows that Nora is off limits for relationship status." Yang grinned at the pair.

"We're not together-together." Nora waved it off, though it was incredibly unconvincing as even Glynda raised a questioning eyebrow at the statement.

"Pardon me, but I was of the mind that you two were dating already." Glynda voiced causing Ren and Nora to turn red in the face.

"We're just waiting for one of them to finally give up and take the plunge." Weiss offered as a way of explanation.

"We're right here you know!" Nora complained as everyone just ignored her declaration.

**Instead, he found himself acting older than them. And not only, but feeling older than them too! As though the mere act of speaking and reacting in a more mature manner was building a barrier he was struggling to overcome. The mere fact of it threatening to tear him down.**

**"Arc!" A voice called out over the ruckus, as more students made their way into the dining halls. Jaune leaned back to see Peter making his way into the room and calling for him.**

**"I shall see you all another time, good luck with initiation." He excused, smiling awkwardly at the girl as she made a whine of disappointment, while Ren just nodded in polite farewell.**

"I wonder if we all become friends with him despite the teacher status?" Ruby wondered aloud causing the others to shrug their shoulders.

"Who knows, only time will tell Miss Rose." Glynda gave her own wisdom on the matter causing Ruby to smile softly.

**"Have your breakfast lad?" Peter asked as Jaune nodded in response. "Good, good. I'll get mine now and cover the cafeteria. I need you to watch over the lockers to make sure nothing goes on. Just out the doors, and the hallway on the left, you can't miss it. Plenty of students heading that way now."**

**"Sure, sure. Is there anything else after this?" Jaune asked in return, invigorated from the special coffee he'd had the good fortune to be blessed with, but knowing that the rush would leave him soon enough.**

**"They'll be called to the cliffs for initiation soon. We'll be watching over them, but then we can retire." The man grinned at Jaune. "Two hours max lad. We're nearly there."**

"It really is a hassle every year," Glynda muttered as she rolled her shoulders slowly.

"Have you considered hiring more staff?" Blake asked curiously. Wondering why there were so few staff members.

"Professor Ozpin refuses to hire any more, saying that the number we have currently is sufficient and that the other hunters would be better put to use in the field," Glynda revealed to them with some reluctance.

**"Alright, I'll hold the lockers then. Catch up with you later." He waved as he headed off in the direction Peter had indicated, using the crowds of students more than the directions to navigate. Thankfully Peter had been correct in saying he couldn't miss it, as there were at least thirty students or more in the area, collecting weapons from lockers.**

**Rocket lockers if he remembered. He'd read about them in Glynda's notes. The idea was that you could summon your locker using your scroll, launching it to your destination so that you could have your weapons to hand. A valuable aid, the notes had said.**

**Downright stupidity, his mind had argued. Really, if you were caught unawares by Grimm then that meant you had somehow wandered into the clearly marked forests without a weapon... Or even worse, gone outside the walls of Vale. A civilian you might expect that from by accident, but a Hunter?**

"Put that way it does seem kind of weird doesn't it?" Weiss muttered as she glanced at the teacher for an explanation.

"It's more for hunters who have weapons that cannot be safely brought out into crowds," Glynda explained simply. "The compact form of weapons nowadays is actually quite new. Miss Rose, do you remember how your uncle stores his weapon when not in use?"

"Uncle Qrow? He just keeps it on his back." Ruby stated not seeing the point.

"If you were a civilian would you trust a kid walking around with a sword in the open especially since it doesn't have a sheath?"

"I guess not?" Ruby didn't sound sure, but then again, she was the daughter of a huntsman and a huntress. She didn't have any civilian family members.

"Licensed hunters are one thing, but students aren't exactly trusted to not immediately go to their weapons when things get heated," Glynda explained further. The teens made various noises of understanding.

**Though who was he to judge? Maybe it was something that only made sense to legitimate Hunters.**

**It was while he was considering the blue lockers, that someone bumped into his back, causing him to spin about even as the female voice complained at the nudging.**

**"P-Professor!" The white-haired girl from yesterday gasped as her eyes widened at having bumped into him again. The poor girl looked half-horrified and half-frustrated, and despite himself being the same age as her, and secretly finding her quite terrifying, he rushed to calm her.**

**"Don't worry, it was my fault." He held his hands out in front of himself to calm her but refrained from actually touching her. "The teachers who watched over the hall didn't get to sleep, so I'm afraid my mind is a little scattered."**

"That makes sense." Pyrrha nodded her head. "Anyone would be out of sorts if they were that short on sleep.

"Though you should get used to it," Glynda noted with some seriousness. "But, that won't be something you'll need to worry about until your third year."

"I guess." Pyrrha nodded as she considered it. "Hunters are expected to be able to survive long amounts of time outside of civilization for missions if needed."

**"O-Oh. I see." The girl recovered as she looked up at him, before taking a deep breath. "I would like to formally apologize for my actions last night Professor Arc. I was out of line, and promise I will not act in such an undignified manner again." She finished the words by bowing her head to him briefly. Truthfully, he was more than a little surprised at the apology. He had pegged her as a particularly prideful person and had expected her to just do her best to ignore him.**

**"Oh, that's no problem." He waved the apology away as he laughed at her. "I can understand that tempers fray so soon after moving to a new place. We'll leave it all behind us. You can call me Jaune outside of classes by the way."**

**He **_**would**_** have that known by the end of the day. if he had to carve it into all their minds by hand.**

Everyone gave Jaune a look causing the boy to shrink in on himself.

**"Thank you, Professor Jaune." The girl nodded, causing him to twitch a little at the worse title. "My name is Weiss Schnee, while you're here, might I introduce you to Pyrrha Nikos?"**

**"Hi." The girl with Weiss greeted, as Jaune turned to face her.**

_**Black lace.**_

Pyrrha blushed at the fairly blunt statement. It didn't help when Yang gave off a wolf whistle. "Yang." She whined hiding her face with her hands.

**"Good morning." He greeted back, hoping his eyes weren't twitching as he looked at the red-headed goddess stood before him. She was dressed in ornate bronze armor, mixed with a red cloth that matched her brilliant red hair.**

_**And black lace.**_

**"I had heard about a teacher close to our age, it's a pleasure to meet you. You must have studied extensively to gain a place here." The girl complimented as her green eyes regarded him with clear friendliness.**

_**You. Have a very sexy ass.**_** His mind greeted back.**

Jaune turned as red as his partner as both of them sank into their seats while the others began teasing them. "This is so embarrassing." He muttered to his partner who was similarly trying to disappear.

**"No more than anyone else, I'm sure." He deflected with a little laugh, that she joined in with. Oh Gods, why was it so easy to talk to women and get them laughing when he was pretending to be a teacher!?**

_**Water, water, everywhere. Yet none that's fit to drink.**_

**"That's a good point," Weiss spoke, dragging his attention reluctantly away from the redhead in front of him. It was probably better this way. "Where was it you studied if I might ask Professor?"**

Team RWBY and the N and R of JNPR laughed loudly at Professor Arc's predicament while Glynda merely smiled at the good-natured teasing.

"But now we're going into the background Jaune is pretending to use right?" Blake pointed out once she managed to get her laughter under control.

**"Not a problem Miss Schnee. I studied at the Vacuo Academy for the Gifted." He replied with a small smile, before wincing as all conversation about them went dead. From the corner of his eye, he could already see a few others turning away from their conversations to stare at him.**

**"T-the Vacuo Academy?" The redhead whispered in surprise, her eyes wide and her face twisted with concern. "I've heard about what happened. I'm sorry for your loss." She whispered to him, her green eyes clouded with sympathy that honestly had him surprised.**

**"I'm **_**so**_** sorry for asking Professor!" Weiss interjected quickly as she shook her hands in front of herself. "I'm sorry if I brought up bad memories!"**

"Was it really that bad?" Ruby asked Glynda who would be the one most likely to know more.

"It… was a great loss," Glynda admitted with a soft sigh. "The Vacuo Academy for the gifted was considered to be the next coming of Beacon Academy." She elaborated. "They had the resources, the personnel, and the location to become the next big academy, but then the Grimm came. It was an unprecedented number of Grimm in the deserts of Vacuo. The staff and students were simply overwhelmed by the numbers and slowly but surely fell before the tides of Grimm."

"Did no one try to help them?" Weiss muttered in horror.

"The first five bullheads sent to evacuate them were destroyed before even reaching the school. The councils eventually decided to just leave them to their fate."

"Oh god," Pyrrha whispered as Ruby began to tear up.

**Did everyone know about this place, other than him before it became a part of his alleged history!?**

**"It's fine Miss Schnee." He accepted with a small smile, content to refer to her by her last name since she seemed like a more formal person than he was used to. Honestly, she seemed icier than Glynda Goodwitch, and that was saying something. Though despite that attitude, and the small scar running down one eye, Jaune could admit that the white-haired girl was very beautiful.**

**"Even so, I'm sorry." She apologized again. "I should not have let my curiosity get the better of me, not when it comes to a member of the teaching staff."**

"As a teacher, it is our duty to use our own personal experiences to better the lives of our students," Glynda muttered rubbing her eyes. "No matter how much it hurts, if it can prevent the same from happening to our students we will tell you whatever we think you need to know." The students couldn't think of anything to say as they shared small looks between themselves.

**"Please don't worry." Jaune urged as he laid a hand on her shoulder briefly, before smiling at her. Really, he hadn't even been to that place, but he was starting to feel incredibly guilty at having unknowingly used it. How bad had it really been for the poor people trapped there? "Not all my memories of Vacuo are bad, there were more good times in the years I spent there."**

**"I think that's the best way to remember them." Pyrrha offered as she smiled at him, a gentle smile that almost seemed to be congratulating him on making the more mature and pleasant answer. It almost made him blush. "If it's not too rude Professor. Might I ask how old you are?"**

**"I'm 20." He lied easily with a small shrug. "I was seventeen when the Academy went down."**

"Should we be concerned about how easy lying is coming to him?" Ruby asked cautiously.

"Probably, but I think this whole story is about him faking it until it becomes the truth." Blake voiced her own opinion.

"I'd like to see how they portray me being as strong as it says I should be," Jaune muttered with a worried look. "I've only improved as much as I have because of Pyrrha." Pyrrha smiled as she held a hand on Jaune's shoulder.

**"Three years. Did you spend the time training again?" Pyrrha asked as she tilted her head to one side, the move doing interesting things to her hair and her long, smooth, neck.**

**"I spent a year or two in the ruins, helping people escape. Once I had come to terms with what happened I traveled a little, helping people where I could, before applying to study here."**

**"Applying to study?" Weiss asked incredulously, causing Jaune to curse angrily in his mind. Damn it, he'd gotten so distracted by the two girls, and his memories of one of them less dressed the previous night, that he'd forgotten the lie Ozpin wanted him to stick to.**

"Oof, improv time." Yang grinned as she watched things unfold.

**"Ah well, please keep it quiet but I wanted to join here as a student, even if I am a little old. But the Headmaster reviewed my credentials and decided I would suit far better as a Professor. In his words, three years fighting alone in the Grimmlands of Vacuo is more than any training can achieve. In his eyes, it is training and graduation all in one."**

**"You mean you could have been a student here?" The white-haired girl asked again, before bringing her hands down in front of her apparently upset. "You could have joined **_**our**_** team!" She complained loudly.**

**"I agree, that would have been fabulous." The redhead smiled at him easily.**

Jaune just rubbed the back of his head recalling what Weiss' feelings towards him were at the start of the year.

"I think it's best to let 'what if' questions float away from your mind Mr. Arc," Glynda pointed out while adjusting her glasses.

**"No way, our team!" A male voice from the nearby crowd, as students gathered about the three of them.**

**"Ours!" Another argued, as the voices raised and Jaune sighed.**

**Yeah... he would have loved that...**

"You know… have you ever considered a career in acting?" Weiss asked seriously. "If your ability to act is anywhere as proficient as we see here, then you could do really well."

"Ah… maybe once or twice in the past." Jaune admitted softly. "But my heart was firmly set on becoming a hero."

"A shame."

**"I see you survived the night." The Headmaster welcomed once the students had been launched off the cliffs and into the forest. If Jaune was honest, he would admit that he was glad he didn't have to face that prospect. He wasn't sure how he would have survived the fall and still wasn't sure with these students. He didn't show his discomfort though, trusting that Ozpin and Goodwitch would not have literally killed that many students in front of his eyes.**

**"Yes, though I'm a little exhausted," Jaune admitted with an easy shrug. Beside Ozpin stood Glynda Goodwitch, who was busy monitoring things on her scroll. Jaune could also make out Peter looking at his own behind them.**

**"That's to be expected. We won't keep you for too long here. In fact, you and Peter are excused from the official assigning of the teams. We just need to get the initiation out of the way first." The man took a long sip of his coffee before his eyes glanced to the left, where Glynda was busy. "Speaking of Mr. Arc. Did you perhaps enjoy a nice cup of coffee this morning?"**

"I recall the… lack of information you had at our own initiation." Pyrrha muttered getting Jaune to widen his eyes in realization.

"Is it me, or does Professor Ozpin look like he's keeping his coffee out of view from Professor Goodwitch?" Nora asked looking a little confused.

**"I did." Jaune nodded easily. "It was a very... impressive brew." Which was saying things lightly, he still felt energized, and the memory of the drink was almost enough to make him consider attacking the man in front of him. Who was **_**drinking it**_** in front of him!**

**"I am glad to see you agree on Mr. Arc. Very glad to see."**

**"What's that Headmaster?" The female deputy asked with a raised brow as she regarded them. To Jaune's surprise, he almost thought he saw a brief flash of panic on the Headmaster's face before it was erased.**

"I'm definitely having a talk with him after this," Glynda muttered angrily causing the others to offer a small prayer for Ozpin.

**"We were talking about the launching." Ozpin lied easily, causing Jaune to feel a small amount of confusion. "Mr. Arc. Not all agree with what we do, or why we do it. But we must protect what is important to us."**

**"The launching is perfectly safe in most cases." Glynda offered in agreement. "Thinking on the fly is an important skill for future hunters, I'm surprised anyone would disagree with this."**

**Jaune meanwhile raised an eyebrow at the Headmaster, who was ignoring Glynda and instead had raised his mug in front of his face, as if toasting it to Jaune, while his eyes slid to Glynda, and he nodded his head sideways in her direction.**

"I will have _words_ with that childish…"Glynda cut herself off as she growled dangerously. Slowly the two teams huddled together in a corner in the face of Glynda's wrath.

**"I agree it is baffling. But some believe it is unhealthy and dangerous." The Headmaster replied. Again lifting his coffee towards Jaune, and nodding towards Glynda.**

_**Oh...**_** Jaune realized, nodding once towards the Headmaster to show he understood. Still, it was strange to think Glynda could be against what was obviously the best coffee on the planet. Perhaps she simply hadn't been enlightened yet.**

**"Well yes... being launched into a Grimm infested forest **_**could**_** be considered unhealthy..." The woman in question offered with a bemused expression on her face.**

At this point, Glynda looked apocalyptic as words failed to form as she made a strangling motion with her hands. "Should we warn the headmaster?" Ruby asked worried that Glynda might actually kill Ozpin.

"Do you want to shift her attention onto you?" Weiss asked seriously causing Ruby to rapidly shake her head. "I didn't think so."

**"Ah, we have our first pair!" Peter interrupted with a shout, causing the three of them to quickly pull out their scrolls and activate the feeds that had been put into them. Jaune watched as the scroll began to display an image which showed the girl from earlier, Pyrrha, as she clapped a brown-haired girl on the shoulder, smiling kindly.**

**Wait were those bunny ears? He zoomed in a little further to see that the girl indeed had a pair of brown bunny ears on her head, a rabbit faunus by the looks of things.**

**They had a bunny girl...**

"Why is Velvet in initiation?" Blake asked worried about her fellow faunus.

_**This is just fucking unfair! I want to be on that team!**_** His mind wailed at the injustice, even as he couldn't stop his eyes trailing over the girl's cute face. God damn it all.**

**"Velvet Scarlatina." Glynda Goodwitch spoke from nearby, and to his surprise, he could hear a faint level of sadness in her voice.**

**"Is there something I should know about her?" Jaune asked, noticing that even Peter had a slightly fond expression on his face.**

Everyone shared looks at that worried about what was going on.

**"Velvet was a second year at this academy, and already part of a team," Glynda answered him. "She was a member of team CFVY, also known as team Coffee." As the woman paused, Jaune spared a moment to take another look at the Headmaster, this time with a flat expression on his face. Yes, it was the best drink ever, but **_**really!?**_

**The man in question simply took another sip, a lost expression on his face. Jaune couldn't tell if he was thinking about the girl they were talking about or was simply lost in his own coffee-induced haze.**

**"What happened to the team?" He asked of the two other teachers instead.**

**"Team Coffee is still active," Peter answered for him. "The four of them were a good team, close comrades, too. Real aspiring hunters. Close as a family."**

"Oh thank god, I thought they were dead with how they were acting," Weiss muttered as she held a hand to her heart. Likewise, the others showed their own relief in their own ways.

**"Velvet was injured on her first practice mission, however." Glynda interrupted. "Though not life-threatening the injury to her leg was bad enough that it took months to heal, and beyond that a few months of physiotherapy for her to regain full usage of it. Though she is an adept dust mage, she also relies on martial arts involving her legs, so she could not fight if she did not recover."**

**"Before we knew it, ten months had passed before she recovered. Though she had kept up with all her school work thanks to the help of her team..." Glynda trailed off sadly. "She could not pass the year. Her combat skills were too low, and she would have been at great risk on future missions. It was for her own good that we made the decision to make her retake the year."**

**"Did she not take it well?" Jaune guessed, wondering how he might feel to be taken away from friends like that.**

Glynda winced at that. "Ah, that always ends poorly." She muttered softly. "Teams tend to be real close in Beacon, it almost never ends well when one member is removed for one reason or another."

RWBY and JNPR shared looks before agreeing with the teacher.

**"Velvet's a gentle one," Peter replied as he shook his head. "She was understanding as always. Her team on the other hand..." He laughed before grinning. "Like any true team, they were not happy and refused a new member. Said there could be no replacement, and that this was just til Velvet got back on her feet, and that they would take her back."**

**It sounded nice, Jaune thought to himself with a smile. These were all things he would miss out on as a teacher, so it was nice to imagine himself in that situation.**

**"That is unlikely to happen, however." The Headmaster entered the conversation, showing that he had been listening all along. "For now, she is a first year once again. And Pyrrha Nikos is to be her new partner."**

"That's going to be a cause of problems in the future isn't it?" Pyrrha noted with a small sigh. "It wouldn't have been mentioned if it wasn't.

"True, and knowing the basis of the story, Jaune will probably be charged with fixing it," Ren added in giving his leader a sympathetic look.

**The conversation moved onto more casual topics as Jaune scrolled through the various camera feeds, paying attention half-heartedly as names he didn't recognize were paired together. He even pointed out a few guys meeting himself to the others. The first to make eye contact rule had been easy enough to enforce, especially since most of the pairs had stuck with their preferred choices without too much complaint.**

**From what he could find of the people he had met, Ruby had been paired up with Weiss in what was sure to be a rather volatile partnership. The last he had seen of them hadn't left the best impression, as the two had almost hurt one another in a friendly-fire accident. For Ruby's sake, he hoped they could put aside their little differences.**

**Yang... He shivered as he thought her name in his mind. The blonde devil had partnered with the quiet book girl with the legs from the previous night, Blake Belladonna as Glynda had made him aware. That partnership was bound to turn a few heads, all of them male. Ren and Nora had partnered so quickly, that he had to assume some level of foul play, but the teachers didn't seem to care, and he liked the two enough not to bring it up.**

Yang laughed loudly while Blake simply huffed in amusement. "I suppose we do turn heads don't we Yang?" Blake questioned shooting the blonde a questioning look.

"Oh, you have no idea." Yang chuckled as Glynda sighed.

Nora likewise laughed at the bit about her and Ren. "Nope, just secret codes and sloth sounds!"

"Nora, I really don't think that was how Sloths sound like." Ren admonished causing the ginger-haired girl to laugh loudly.

"Boop!"

**From Ozpin's explanation, the ruins in the center contained chess pieces, and the piece chosen by each pair would dictate the teams of four. Bishops to bishops, knights to knights, and vice-versa. Apparently, they'd skipped the pawns and used both the black and white pieces from the back row. Odd, but he supposed it made sense and was fairly simple in terms of sorting the teams out.**

**"There's a big battle at the ruins," Peter spoke suddenly from nearby, causing Jaune to spare him a worried glance before looking back at his own scroll and cycling through the cameras. "That's a large nevermore." The teacher commented as Jaune finally found the feed.**

**Oh Good Lord... He could make out eight students, literally the eight that he knew and had made tentative friends with, arranged in a group on a bridge as a huge nevermore dived at them. The books he'd read had said they ranged from between one meter to a few, but that thing had to be at least forty meters across!**

"That thing was pretty big wasn't it?" Jaune asked looking at his partner for answers.

"As far as a Nevermore goes, yes it was." She agreed.

"That Deathstalker wasn't tiny either you know," Nora complained.

**"This looks interesting." The Headmaster whispered as the four of them all finally aligned on the same camera feed.**

**"It looks dangerous," Jaune spoke before he could stop himself, concern for his new friends warring with his sense of self-preservation. How could they be ready for such a monster, when they hadn't even started their first day of training!?**

**"Your concern for your students do you credit, Mr. Arc." The Headmaster spoke easily. "But worry not, Doctor Oobleck is nearby, and ready to intervene should the situation require it."**

**"Oobleck could kill that thing in his sleep." Peter laughed as he gave Jaune a thumbs up as "encouragement. Jaune let out a deep breath in an effort to calm himself but found that while the knowledge that they were safe did prevent some of the fear. He couldn't fully dismiss it.**

"Is that why we were allowed to fight those?" Weiss asked with a raised brow. "Because the teacher overlooking the forest thought it wasn't a big deal?"

"In part," Glynda admitted simply. "The other was to see how you would go about attempting it."

**It was so big, and they were so small.**

**"The two teams are splitting up." Glynda analyzed, as the eight figures broke into two sets of four. Jaune watched as the black-haired gunman Ren shouted instructions to his team-mates, directing them to open fire on the Nevermore. It seemed he had a pair of automatic pistols from the look of it, while Pyrrha's weapon was capable of turning into a rifle. Nora... the one who wanted to fight him... had a grenade launcher.**

**Oh, Gods no.**

Ren blinked in surprise. "I'm the one taking the leadership role?" he wondered aloud causing Nora to hug him happily. "I did not expect that," He admitted.

"I'm sure you'd do fine," Pyrrha assured him.

**The bunny-girl, Velvet, stood in place but seemed to be speaking quietly to herself before pointing a hand towards the creature. From in front of her, a large conflagration of fire seemed to form before hurtling towards the creature and slamming into its feathers. The monstrosity turned to face them, offering its back to the other four.**

**"They're distracting it?" He offered uncertainly, getting an agreeing sound from Glynda as she watched the scene on her own scroll. The nevermore dived towards the four, as the man in green once again shouted something that had them scattering. On the way past, the Nevermore clipped one of the students, sending the orange-haired girl spiraling as she slammed into the ground.**

**"It hit her!" He spoke quickly.**

"Jaune…" Ruby muttered with narrowed eyes. "Why are you panicking right now?" she asked referring to the version of him in the book.

"Uh..." Jaune looked around as the members of RWBY narrowed their eyes on him while Pyrrha looked away.

**"Her aura absorbed the damage, no need for Oobleck to step in yet." Ozpin cut in.**

**Her aura? Jaune's eyes widened. Oh, Holy flying crap! Aura! How had he forgotten? He hadn't, he'd planned to bring it up at some point when he had gotten in as a student and have it unlocked, but with the current change of plans and his constant state of near panic, he had forgotten.**

**He. Jaune Arc. Professor of Beacon Academy.**

**Hadn't unlocked his aura.**

Glynda slowly turned towards Jaune with a dark look in her eyes. "Detention Mr. Arc."

"But I haven't done anything!" Jaune protested

"Do you want me to make it a month long?" Glynda asked with a raised brow. Jaune quickly shut his mouth as he looked down in defeat.

_**Can they sense it!? What if they notice?**_** Well, that was obvious. If they noticed, he was out, instantly. The mere idea that a hunter trained for seven years in the Vacuo Academy for the gifted would not have his aura unlocked was freaking laughable. He **_**had**_** to have it unlocked.**

**"See, they brought it down without too much problem." Peter cheered as Jaune blinked in surprise. Wait, it was over!? He'd only stopped paying attention for what felt like a short time. And yet as his eyes went back to the screen he could see that the beast was already crashing into the valley, sans its head. With Ruby Rose, the shy fifteen-year-old girl perched on a cliff, cape flowing behind her with a scythe in hand.**

_**Okay. That's awesome.**_

"It was impressive." Glynda complimented the girl who bashfully pulled her hood over her face. "Oobleck did lament the damage done to the ruins, however."

"Okay, that's just nit-picking!" Yang complained, getting a shrug from the teacher.

**"I'm sure you're glad to see your little addition working out, eh Ozpin?" Peter laughed as the man in question simply smiled enigmatically. Jaune wondered what he meant by that, but was still too frayed to question it.**

**"The teams are all making their way back here now." Glynda interrupted. "The locators in the chess pieces are signaling, so we know who has what. Now comes the difficult part." She sighed out as she massaged at her forehead, causing Jaune to look a little worried.**

**"Yes. This part of the year is always the worst." The Headmaster agreed, while Peter simply said something about wishing Oobleck was here to help them.**

**"Dare I even ask?" Jaune asked anyway.**

"Ah, coming up with team names." Glynda nodded her head. "The initials always make things odd." She admitted with a tired sigh. "We always have to make some leeway for teams like yours that have initials that simply don't make sense." She mentioned looking at RWBY.

**"It is a tradition for the teams to have code names to represent themselves. These must be four letters long, that use the initials of each member of the team. These must also then form a full word." The Headmaster seemed to sigh after he explained. "It is a tradition I've not yet been able to kill."**

**"I shall claim team CRDL." Glynda Goodwitch piped up quickly. "Henceforth, they shall be known as Team Cardinal, led by Cardin Winchester."**

**"Hardly fair... easy..." Peter grumbled as he began coming up with names for another quartet that Jaune didn't recognize. Miss Goodwitch seemed to ignore Peter's ramblings as she adjusted her glasses, looking for all the world like she considered herself done with the whole ordeal.**

"It was easy, and I was simply faster than my co-workers," Glynda admitted easily with zero shame.

**"I shall take the team with Miss Rose." Ozpin offered Jaune, leaving him with the only other team he recognized, consisting of Velvet, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora. Idly he wrote the names and the letters out on his scroll, using the touch-screen to drag them about into different combinations.**

**Team NPRV... naprivo- okay, he couldn't think of any words to fit that. He continued the exercise for a few moments before becoming frustrated. Seriously, it was harder than it looked and there just didn't seem to be any words that fit. It was the V every time!**

**"Henceforth, the team consisting of Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao-Long, shall be known as team RWBY, short for Ruby, and led by said person." Ozpin declared after a few minutes, looking quite pleased with himself as he took a long sip of coffee.**

"I thought Professor Ozpin was the one who selected the team leaders for all teams," Weiss muttered looking to the teacher.

"Not so, each teacher looks at the actions of the students during initiation and make the call as to who is the leader based on their own judgments. If there are any conflicts we will go over them and make adjustments as necessary."

**Beside Jaune, Glynda stared at him. As did Peter.**

**"Ruby isn't spelled with a W." Glynda opined for the three of them. "And don't you think having the entire team named after her might go to her head?"**

**"I'm sorry. Cardin-al?" The Headmaster replied easily, actually making Glynda cough uncomfortably for a moment.**

**"A lovely name. CRDL and RWBY. Perfect." The woman surrendered.**

"Well, you can't always win." Yang laughed easily seeing Glynda give footing so quickly.

"It's not as easy as it seems." Glynda pointed ou while adjusting her glasses.

**"Can we use the last names?" Jaune asked quickly, wondering how far he was allowed to stretch the cheating. The Headmaster shrugged.**

**"Honestly you can use anything you can argue makes sense, as long as it gets the job done." The man answered back, with a bored expression on his face. Besides him, Glynda launched into a quick tirade on tradition, and the importance of, that he seemed to tune out.**

**Last names... but he could also maybe cheat on the V... much like how the W had been used to make a U...**

**Team PVRN. Short for... Team Pornogra- Okay, that was probably a bad idea. Especially since there was a bunny-girl on the team, and it was three girls to one guy... one lucky bastard. His hormones really were acting up too much if he was starting to think like this. That or the sleep deprivation was kicking in.**

Pyrrha punched Jaune in the face before she could fully comprehend what she was doing. "Ow…"

"I'm sorry!" she cried out realizing what she had done.

"I can't even blame her," Glynda muttered while the others just winced slightly.

**Still, it was better that he had no sleep and was stuck with a brain puzzle than having to fight a big ass nevermore... wait... it wouldn't be spelled correctly, but maybe he could cheat on this one time. And it made sense considering he'd been the one to make the orders during the fight, so he was probably the best choice as the leader anyway.**

**"Team RVNN," Jaune spoke, drawing their attention as he did so. "Team Raven, led by Lie Ren."**

**"A fine name indeed," Ozpin concluded, a smile coming to his lips. "I think they will be most pleased with the name as well."**

**"And we finished earlier than expected. Good work Jaune." Peter congratulated as he stifled a yawn behind a meaty fist. Seeing the action caused Jaune to instinctively mimic it.**

"A much better name." Ren nodded his head thankfully.

"If it really did end up as PVRN I think I'd have to break fearless leader's legs." Nora agreed with a serious nod.

**"Thank you for your work today, and for taking over my shift. Why don't the two of you retire for the evening?" The female deputy offered with a small rare smile that Jaune wondered if he was only half imagining. She looked good when she smiled.**

**"Indeed." The Headmaster agreed. "We will handle assigning teams and rooms, Mr. Arc will be aiding Port tomorrow in lessons, followed by Oobleck in the afternoon. For now, take the chance to rest."**

**"Will do. Come on lad." Peter urged as he nodded his head towards the Academy, and sweet rest. Jaune knew though, that rest wouldn't come until he had sorted out his recent problem. He needed his aura unlocking, and fast. There was no way he could talk to the teachers about it, and the students were an obvious no as well. It would need to be someone outside of Beacon Academy.**

Glynda hummed "Thank you for the praise." She offered her own thanks before adjusting her glasses. "You will not get out of detention though, Mr. Arc," she concluded causing Jaune to sigh despondently.

"Is… is Professor Goodwitch the main love interest in this story?" Ruby asked innocently causing the teacher to cough lightly while Jaune just turned red.

"You know… I don't think she's wrong." Blake muttered as she considered what they knew about the story so far.

**Someone who wouldn't rat him out, who would have no connections to the place... Perhaps he could ask that guy he'd paid for those fake documents if he knew anyone. It was risky, but surely there was someone out there who would sell the ability to unlock someone's aura... maybe even in the criminal underground...**

_**Risky... but in for a penny...**_

_**What was his name again?... Roman?**_

"Detention Mr. Arc," Glynda thundered as she stood up. "Come along children you _will_ take a break while I handle Mr. Arc's detention!" using her semblance to lift him up Glynda made her way towards the door, the two teams in tow.

"Perhaps when I have more time, I will return to read some more. Until then have a good day Mr. Fox," Glynda assured the being who nodded his head in understanding.

"I eagerly await your return everyone." He smiled as he waved goodbye.

* * *

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Next chapter June 17


	5. Reading chapter 5

Hello here is your next chapter of RWBY reads Professor Arc!

* * *

(BREAK)

"If I remember we just covered initiation right?" Jaune questioned lightly as Fox pulled out Professor Arc for them to read.

"Yes, I believe so," Fox affirmed simply as he opened up the book to the marked chapter.

"I can't believe you went to Roman Torchwick of all people for your forgeries," Weiss commented with an annoyed look causing Jaune to shuffle in his seat ashamed.

**Jaune rubbed his hands together nervously as he made his way towards what would be his biggest test in his new faux career. So far he'd done little but stand around and talk, yet now he was going to be doing what he was hired for, and that realization was terrifying.**

**It was time to teach.**

**Or support a teacher anyway. Peter to be precise, since he was in charge of the Grimm Studies class, and it probably made sense for the student's first lessons in Beacon to be focused on what was their primary enemy. Jaune expected it to be more of an introduction to the school than an actual lesson, so hopefully, he wouldn't have to do much. Also, Peter had been teaching alone for years, so was he even necessary?**

There was a collective groan from the students at the reminder of their first lesson together. "This was so bad." Yang moaned remembering the drama that followed.

"And boring," Nora added in while slumping in her seat.

"It wasn't even very informative," Blake admitted with a shake of her head.

**Right now the students were most likely in the cafeteria getting breakfast, something he wouldn't have minded doing himself. Instead, he'd quickly made a sandwich from the supplies thoughtfully left in his cupboards, and downed some milk before rushing to the classroom. From what he remembered of school, the teachers were always there before the students. That was just the way it was. So he would probably need to get to each class twenty minutes or so early.**

**That would also give him some time to do a quick recap on the syllabus and material, so he didn't make a fool of himself and get fired/arrested - delete as applicable.**

**Before he'd gone to sleep the previous day he'd made sure to send a message to his… contact? Within the criminal world… okay, maybe that was too strong a word, it was just someone Jaune had been put in touch with when he'd been looking for a forgery. But it was his only option. Thankfully the man had returned a message by the morning, simply stating that he could have it done if Jaune came into Vale, but that he would `owe him` a favor.**

Pyrrha frowned and pinched the side of her leader. "OW!" Jaune cried out in surprise as he jumped at the sudden pain. "PYRRHA?" he whined loudly as the champion just gave him a disappointed look.

"I still can't believe Torchwick is going to play a critical role in this story," Ruby muttered softly as she frowned.

"I still can't believe Jaune hasn't been caught yet," Weiss added in unhelpfully as she shot the knight a dirty look.

"I can't believe you're all bullying me like this," Jaune grumbled under his breath.

**Tit-for-tat, Jaune was sure a simple crook wouldn't want anything too drastic from him, and he was earning good money now it seemed. He just needed to find a chance to go into Vale.**

**"Morning lad." Peter greeted as Jaune opened the door to the classroom and stepped inside. "Looking forward to your first day?"**

**"Somewhat," Jaune replied easily as he let his eyes look around the room. The layout reminded him a little of an amphitheater, with seats arranged in a semi-circle, spiraling upwards and outwards, with a large display area at the front where Peter stood. There were a number of boards on the back wall facing the students, with diagrams of Grimm. As well as…. Wait, was that a solid gold bust of Peter?**

"I don't remember that," Nora admitted while tapping her chin in thought.

"It wasn't there," Ren confirmed for her. "I think the professors might be even _more_ quirky than normal in this." He added in causing the others to pale.

"Oh god, they're even worse?" Weiss muttered while covering her face with her hands.

"That's… really bad." Pyrrha hedged slightly as she winced a little.

**"He's a handsome one, isn't he?" Peter whispered as he clapped a heavy hand on Jaune's shoulders, making the younger man roll his eyes. Sometimes he couldn't tell if Peter was being genuinely narcissistic, or just sarcastic. Before he could comment on it though, his eyes were drawn to what appeared to be a cage, which was… shaking.**

**Jaune stared at it for a few moments, hearing some growling and snuffling from within. Considering the school, its aims and the class's name – it wasn't hard to guess what lay inside.**

**"Peter… did you bring a live Grimm to class?" Jaune deadpanned as he palmed his own face.**

"Oh, it was a boarbatusk right?" Ruby exclaimed trying to recall the lesson.

"Yes, it was," Weiss confirmed lightly as she grimaced. "I… didn't handle it as well as I could've." She admitted hesitantly.

"You were still upset about leadership if I recall correctly," Blake muttered causing Weiss to duck her head shamefaced.

"That was… a dramatic time for us." Ruby muttered trying to find the words.

"Putting it mildly." Yang groaned at the reminder.

**"Maybe?" The older man hedged. "Not that I'm saying I did, but if I did then we'll have a student face it, it'll be a real motivator!"**

**Part of Jaune, the honest side of him – which admittedly had taken a beating in the past few days, wanted to object to the idea. The students were experiencing their first day; they might still be tired from initiation. And wasn't it their job as teachers to protect them?**

**A larger part of him simply shrugged.**

_**Better them than me**_**.**

Jaune shrank under the combined gazes of his seven friends.

**Besides… Peter was a teacher, right? He surely knew what he was doing.**

**"Sure, why not." Jaune agreed with a disappointed sigh, aimed more at himself than the teacher. Morals – 0, Shame – 1.**

**"Shh, the students are coming. Don't tell them, I want it to be a surprise." Peter whispered sneakily as a few students began making their way into the room and taking seats. Jaune just stared at the man.**

**It was a six foot by six-foot cage, shrouded within by darkness. With glowing eyes, shaking and growling coming from it. Stood in the middle of the freaking room!**

"You know, in hindsight, I can't believe none of us noticed that until Professor Port pointed it out to us," Blake muttered with an odd expression on her face.

"I still can't believe he caught one at all." Weiss groused still bitter about that particular lesson.

"I am honestly amazed Jaune hasn't gone insane yet." Ren pointed out as the Jaune within the book just looked on in sufferance.

_**Whatever. Beyond my pay grade.**_** Jaune grumbled internally as he made his way over to the door as the last few students entered. With the clock ticking down to nine, it was probably time to close the door and get started.**

**Just as his hand touched the doorknob itself, the wood flew open with great force, slamming his hand painfully aside, and leaving him open as something heavy smashed into him. His everything protested in pain as he slammed into the floor before the wind was driven out of his lungs as a number of weights landed on his bruised body, pinning him to the tiles.**

**"Made it!" A familiar voice cried out in joy from above him, not that he could see anything with his vision blocked by shadow, smooth legs and…**

Team RWBY winced slightly as they watched the human pileup. "I'm kind of glad we don't have TAs now," Ruby whispered softly.

"I'm glad it's not actually me," Jaune muttered as he rubbed his neck feeling phantom pains from just watching the incident.

"It's like a Rom-Com." Nora stage whispered as she watched everything with a megawatt smile on her face.

_**Oh, fuck me…**_

**"Wow, Blake." The voice of the blonde bombshell from the other day drawled. "That's bold of you."**

**Jaune's guilty pleasure was torn away from him as one of the smooth creamy thighs moved quickly, the equally smooth but incredibly **_**hard**_** knee slamming into the side of his face as the girl rolled off his face to protect her dignity. Cheek bruising from the pain, Jaune tilted his head to the side to see the black-haired girl who had been reading a few nights ago on her knees, staring at him with a dark red hue on her cheeks. Her hands holding her skirt down as she knelt on the floor.**

Blake blushed slightly while Jaune looked anywhere but near her. "If you ever look up my skirt…" Blake warned him as she pulled out Gambol Shroud. "I cut it off."

Jaune gulped loudly as he quickly nodded his head in understanding. "Crystal clear." He muttered while shrinking away from the irritated cat Faunus.

Yang smirked as she threw an arm around her partner. " It's just like those books of yours isn't it?" she asked saucily. "A student late to class has to serve detention with the hot new student teacher?" she waggled her eyebrows suggestively as Blake hid her face within the palms of her hands.

**On a side note, he'd been right. She **_**did**_** have amazing legs.**

**"J-Jaune!?" A panicked voice on top of him whispered, as his blue eyes left the embarrassed girl with the bow to look up towards the now panicked looking girl who was sat on his chest. With her legs either side of him, beneath his armpits. Despite the uniform he had seen the other students wearing, she still had that red hood poking behind her.**

**"Morning Ruby." He greeted with a sigh as he let his head roll back to the floor in pain. The girl squeaked at his greeting but tried to wave back with a nervous smile. "Late for class?"**

There was muffled laughter from the students at Jaune's attempt at humor. "Not bad," Yang admitted

"It fits the theme well." Ren agreed. "And it's also something a teacher would actually say."

"Fearless leader, I think you flirt better when you don't try." Nora pointed out causing Jaune to wince a bit. "Like seriously look at them! You already got three girls interested before the first lesson of the year!"

**"Maybe…" She mumbled shyly, while she fiddled cutely with her fingers. Idly Jaune noticed a few other people picking themselves up beside him. Including the black haired boy, he'd assigned to be a leader and his red-haired teammate. It seemed only three or so had landed on him, which was pretty lucky.**

**"Such enthusiasm!" A deep voice bellowed as Jaune tilted his head back to look at Peter, who was watching the display with a smile on his face. "So eager to learn, an inspiration to us all!" Jaune simply rolled his eyes.**

**"Do you want to get off me?" He asked of Ruby instead, who blushed suddenly and literally vanished from his chest faster than his eyes could actually process. All that remained were a few rose petals for some reason.**

"Oh, my semblance!" Ruby cheered causing the others to smile fondly.

**Vision unobstructed, he could now see his nightmare. The blonde, Yang, was sitting cross-legged on his crotch, her crossed legs hiding anything from view, but hinting at everything.**

**"Yo." She greeted with an easy grin.**

**"Off," Jaune ordered before his hormones could get the better of him, he briefly considered bucking his hips to try and move her, but resisted in case it caused things to rub against other things… which **_**would**_** be the end of his tenuous self-control.**

"Wow, Yang, really bold there," Blake muttered sarcasm on full blast.

Yang turned slightly red in the face but held firm as she grinned at them. "You're just jealous I got the best seat."

**"Aww, you gave Ruby a choice." The girl teased, as she climbed to her feet and offered Jaune a hand. Jaune accepted it and the girl hoisted him to his feet with a strength that nearly tore his arm from his shoulder socket. Okay, so he should probably add super strength to the list of reasons why being in her presence was a bad idea.**

**As the students made their way to the seats, to the general laughter of most of the others, Jaune couldn't help but be strangely thankful for the aches and pains along his body. If he wasn't so focused on the damage that had been done to him then he'd probably have been blushing at the sights he'd seen – and that might have been noticed.**

**Still, having read up a little on aura, after he had realized his wasn't unlocked – he knew he couldn't show any of his pain since his aura **_**should**_** have shielded him. Instead, he walked up and stood by Peter, making sure to keep an easy expression on his face.**

"Geez, talk about method acting." Pyrrha sighed but gave Jaune a smile when he turned towards her with a questioning look. "It's an acting style in which the actor puts themselves into the situation their character does in order to better portray them."

"I don't get it."

Weiss palmed her face. "It's like an actor who needs to play a police officer would shadow an actual officer to learn how best to portray that role.

"Oh, okay."

**"Monsters!" Professor Port bellowed suddenly, causing many of the students to jump, even as Jaune felt like he was being pushed forward by the sheer force of it. "Demons, prowlers of the night… the Grimm have many names." He began striding in front of the desks as he said this. "But I like to call them… prey."**

_**Oh, Gods, he's going to do what I think he is, isn't he!?**_** Jaune panicked, recognizing the mannerisms and speech for what Peter had put him through while they were watching the students. He prayed he was wrong.**

**"Let me tell you a story…"**

_**Arghhhhhhh!**_

The teams sighed tiredly as Port went into his story once again. "Seriously how did this guy become a teacher?" Ruby moaned tiredly.

"He probably used to be really good." Blake surmised. "He might even be telling the truth about his stories. Or, maybe he's going senile in his old age."

**Ruby Rose struggled to stifle a yawn as she paid approximately 0% attention to the teacher who was rambling in the middle of the room. Only noticing from the corner of her eye the way he was waving his arms animatedly. Wasn't Grimm studies supposed to be interesting? Geez… they had rushed for this!?**

**The thought quickly brought a blush to her face, which she tried to hide behind her arms. Good Gods, that had been humiliating. Bad enough that they had almost been late to their first lesson, but to literally crash into and near enough smother a teacher? And worse, **_**him!**_

_**Ughhh… way to go Ruby. Impressive. You're really going to impress him with your maturity like this.**_

The WBY of RWBY were suddenly paying more attention as Ruby's thoughts echoed out. "Ruby, got something to tell your dear older sister?" Yang crowed as she gave Ruby the toothiest grin she could manage.

"Bad Yang! Bad!" Ruby cried out pulling out a spray bottle from somewhere and spraying water into Yang's face.

"You gave her a spray bottle?" Pyrrha asked glancing at her partner.

"It was Blake's idea." Jaune shrugged his shoulders as RWBY dissolved into a mess of arguments and teasing.

**Still, she thought, as the blush remained on her cheeks. At least he was more interesting than Professor Port.**

**Jaune. Or Professor Jaune, anyway. Instead of speaking he simply stood there patiently, his arms crossed behind his back and his face devoid of any real emotion. She could just make out the silver of his breastplate peeking over the top of where his jacket was buttoned, giving him a knightly figure. Not for Jaune the lessons and boredom. He was a **_**hunter.**_** He was **_**cool.**_

**She sighed dreamily as she let her silver eyes roam over him for a few minutes, noticing the way his blue eyes slowly scanned the students from left to right as he waited for the Professor to finish. She was sure if it was him talking, then it would have been much more interesting.**

Ruby was actually rolling around on the ground in pain as she was made to witness this love-struck version of herself. "Make it stop!" she cried out as Yang watched on with a wide teasing grin.

**She did feel bad for Blake though. As embarrassing as it had been for her, sitting on her crush's chest… and it had been a really comfortable chest too. Blake had inadvertently flashed her teacher and was clearly mortified. Idly, she looked to the side to check, only to see Blake burying her face in a book. Ruby couldn't tell if she was actively reading it, or just embarrassed.**

**At least she hadn't done anything like that.**

**Still, that didn't stop the fact that her attention was not at all on the teacher she was supposed to be learning from, as the pen loosely clutched in her fingers doodled away.**

Blake groaned slightly. "I don't need a reminder, thank you very much." She glared at Ruby without any heat.

"Hey, at least you're not remembered by your underwear type." Nora grinned while Pyrrha turned bright red at the reminder. "Isn't that right black lace?" Nora grinned widely at Pyrrha who was making a strangling motion with her hands. Ren merely sighed as Pyrrha tried to throttle Nora.

**"Ruby!" Her partner hissed, trying to catch her attention with a furious expression on her face. Ruby caught it from the corner of her eye but chose to ignore it. It hardly seemed she could do anything to please Weiss, despite that the other day at initiation she had promised to be less cold. She couldn't pay attention to the man, he was so damned boring. He was literally committing mass murder… of **_**air.**_

**Idly letting out a sigh she looked down at the paper on her desk, before blushing at the image she had drawn and scribbling over it frantically in black ink. A furtive look in both directions showed Yang with her face resting on one hand in apparent boredom, and Weiss, whose teeth were grating together.**

**"Who thinks themselves a true hunter!?" The boring old voice called out, even as Weiss' hands slammed down onto the desk in frustration.**

Seven pairs of eyes drifted towards Ruby who had frozen as the image was made clear in her mind. "Ruby what did you draw?" Weiss asked kindly causing the poor reaper to swallow nervously.

"Let's not dwell on insignificant things like that partner!" she cried out desperately urging Fox to continue reading.

"I don't believe it's insignificant." Weiss drawled knowingly as she crossed her arms and gave Ruby a smug looking smile. "In fact, I do believe it was something you can't look at while at work right?"

Blake and Yang shared a look before shuffling over to Weiss' side of the seats. "You traitors!" Ruby cried out seeing the blatant betrayal for what it was. As the three older girls teased Ruby mercilessly Fox continued to read.

**"I do!" The heiress shouted back angrily, as she stormed to her feet.**

**"I wonder what was up with Weiss," Ruby mumbled worriedly as she followed after Yang and Blake, who were walking out of the classroom together. She thought the fight had gone pretty well and hadn't her advice helped Weiss find the weakness of the Boarbatusk?**

**"Eh, she's probably just cranky cuz the lesson was boring as Hell." Her older sister yawned back, holding a fist in front of her mouth. "I mean seriously, that guy can **_**talk**_**."**

"BOO! They skipped the fight?" Nora booed loudly quickly joined by Ruby and Yang causing the more level headed members to roll their eyes.

"I guess it went exactly as we remember then?" Jaune suggested looking to Fox for confirmation.

"Yes, I do believe that was the case." The being admitted with a shrug of the shoulders. "That's the thing with a lot of these creators. If they don't want to change something from the base timeline, they often don't even mention it. At most, they'll leave a little note for any observers saying something along the lines of 'This scene is the same as the original' or some such nonsense."

**"I'm sure there were valuable lessons hidden in his tales." The quieter Blake defended, making Yang raise an eyebrow.**

**"And those were?" She drawled, causing Blake to flush slightly and look away.**

**"I didn't say I found them." She surrendered while Ruby giggled.**

There was some laughter from the two teams as Blake shuffled in her seat a little. "I was looking for a silver lining." She muttered quietly.

**"At least Rubes got some nice eye-candy eh?" Yang teased suddenly, rushing forwards to pull her into a headlock. "I saw you looking, sis!"**

**"Yaaaaang!" Ruby complained loudly, struggling as hard as she could to free herself from her sister's iron grip. On the other hand, with her face squashed into Yang's side, no one could see how badly she was blushing, which was a plus.**

**"I didn't see anything special." Blake deadpanned back as she rolled her eyes, making Yang smirk.**

"I guess Blake isn't in the running for the dolt's affections in this one." Weiss hummed slightly as she reclined in her seat.

"At least I'm not fantasizing in the middle of class." Blake pointed out with a teasing smile.

"Blake why?" Ruby cried out in embarrassment.

**"You're just pissy cuz you flashed him." Blake hissed angrily at the blonde's words, though Ruby did notice her cheeks darken a little in embarrassment. Idly she hoped it was embarrassment more than the other girl being attracted to the guy. Maybe it was just a silly crush, but she didn't want to have to compete with someone like **_**Blake**_** of all people!**

**"I have **_**no**_** idea what you both see in the man," Blake grumbled as she turned away.**

**"Didn't you see how he placed himself between the Boarbatusk and the class? Like he was ready to protect us at a moment's notice." Ruby defended her crush, waving her arms even while she remained locked under Yang's elbow.**

**"He looked more nervous than protective."**

"Love does weird things to perception doesn't it?" Jaune asked Pyrrha who blushed a little since she was guilty of the same at times.

"True, as long as it doesn't blind you to things around you it's fine though." She replied quickly regaining control of herself.

**"Nervous because he had to defend us all. No doubt he didn't want to fail." Ruby argued back. When the Boarbatusk had been revealed to the class, they'd all been surprised and shocked. Such a Grimm wasn't a big threat to most of them, but considering they were all unarmed in class it was still a risky proposition to fight it. But while most people had been focused on the fight between the Grimm and Weiss… she had noticed Jau- Professor Arc, slowly sidling his way closer to the mass of students, and away from the Grimm.**

**Even though it looked like Weiss would be fine… and surely the other teacher would have stepped in? He still moved closer to the mass of unarmed students, no doubt ready to give his life to protect them.**

**Like a true hero!**

**"Ugh," Blake grunted in frustration. "And your excuse, Yang?"**

"How very Ruby-like," Weiss muttered getting nods of agreement from Blake and Yang.

"Hey!" Ruby whined although she was thoroughly ignored.

"Ten lien says fearless leader's intentions were a lot less noble." Nora stage whispered again causing Ren to chuckle softly.

"I'm not taking that bet, Nora." He assured her with practiced ease.

**The blonde finally released Ruby, as she tapped a finger to her lip as if in deep thought. Except Ruby knew her sister, and most thought with her wasn't exactly **_**deep.**_

**"Eh, I just like the chase and the challenge." She answered with a grin after a few moments. Making Blake moan even as Ruby rolled her eyes. "He's cute and all, but he'll have to go a little further to **_**really**_** get my blood pumping. But for now, it's nice to have a guy who doesn't fall all over themselves around me."**

**Blake seemed to throw her hands into the air in disgust, choosing to ignore what she couldn't understand, even as Ruby smiled fondly at the two of them. It was nice to see her team getting on so well, and seeing partners get along. She just wished she could have the same relationship with her own partner…**

"It is kind of nice," Yang admitted. "It's even more fun if the other side can tease as much as I can."

"You're incorrigible." Weiss drawled slowly causing Blake to smile while Ruby simply looked confused.

"It means a person or their tendencies are not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed," Pyrrha explained for Ruby's benefit.

**"Guys, I'm going to see what's up with Weiss." She suddenly declared in a moment of clarity. How could she call herself a leader, or a friend, if she didn't try to solve the problem they had between the two of them? "I'll catch up with you both later, kay?"**

**Dashing off, Ruby spared a quick wave for her two friends as she headed back to the class, determined to do what a leader was meant to do.**

Team RWBY smiled fondly as Yang pulled Ruby into a headlock and began giving her a noogie. "You're so adorable!" she squealed causing the others to laugh as Ruby tried to escape.

**"Your first class, my boy, good job!" Peter complimented as he slammed his hand into Jaune's back repeatedly, the pneumatic force threatening to kill the younger man.**

**"T-thanks!" Jaune accepted, as he finally got out from under the man's arm and began straightening his coat. "Don't you think it was a bit risky letting a wild Grimm on the class though? What if she hadn't been able to kill it?"**

**Knowing that without his own aura, or any real combat skills, he wasn't going to be able to do **_**anything**_** to stop it. He'd subtly wandered over towards the more competent students. Surely **_**one**_** of them must be some kind of badass martial artist or had a semblance that shot lasers out of their eyes or something.**

"Laser eyes?" Ren asked Jaune with a raised eyebrow.

"What? I didn't know a thing about semblances!" Jaune shot back indignantly.

**"Bah!" The man dismissed easily. "If she'd fallen to the creature then she hardly deserved to be here. Plus I would have intervened before any true harm was done. Or I'm sure you would have."**

**"Yeah… sure." Jaune nervously laughed back. Definitely no risk right? "Are all of your lessons going to be… practical lessons?"**

**"Alas, no." The older man bemoaned, even as his entire frame slumped. "Procuring live Grimm is an arduous and difficult task, fraught with peril and danger! Convincing Glynda to let me assign the task as homework is fraught with even **_**more**_** peril."**

**"Well, that's a shame." Jaune hazarded as he internally sighed in relief. Thank the Gods Miss Goodwitch was there to stop this man.**

Both teams clapped their hands together and prayed that Glynda would continue to rein in the more dangerous inclinations of her co-workers.

**"Beyond that though, my boy! I am shamed and most awed at your abilities with the young women!" The older man suddenly burst out, arms wide as though to envelop Jaune in a back-breaking hug. Thankfully he did not. "To garner such attention so quickly, even in my youth I might have struggled at such a task!"**

**"Okay," Jaune mumbled as his face flushed with embarrassment. "You realize that was a complete accident!? Right? They just ran into me!"**

**"Oh, my **_**boy**_**." Peter comforted as he shook his head in apparent amusement. "Strange are the ways of women, but nothing is done without reason. To you, it might have looked like an accident. But to them! They were staking their claim, marking their territory!"**

"Ew…" Ruby muttered remembering her Dad's lessons on why Zwei peed on so many different things when she walked him.

"I'm sure they didn't mean it like that." Pyrrha pointed out

"I hope so," Blake muttered irritably.

**"Are you suggesting they were trying to pee on me?"**

**"Mysterious are the ways of women!"**

**"…"**

**"But you must resist it Jaune." The older man sagely advised with arms crossed.**

Weiss palmed her face. "You're an idiot Arc." She groaned through her fingers.

"At least he's a funny idiot." Yang grinned causing Jaune to whine.

**"I realize that as a teacher, such would be frowned upon. I can control myself, don't worry about it." Jaune lied. Truthfully he didn't know if he would be able to resist if any of these girls were **_**actually**_** interested in him. If his ambition was to become a hero, then getting a girlfriend was like a dream even beyond that. And these girls!? Was this an academy for hunters or super-models!?**

**"Well they're of age, so it wouldn't be a big deal. But the main reason you need to resist is because I have ten thousand lien riding on you!"**

**Jaune paused and stared at the man.**

"Wow," Nora muttered amazed by the amount of money. "That's a lot of pancakes."

"I can't believe he gambled on me," Jaune muttered with a twitching eyebrow.

"I can't believe they aren't more concerned about the possibility of illicit student-teacher relationships," Weiss added in.

"I can't believe you think Jaune would have the balls to even do that." Yang countered causing Weiss to think about it a little more.

"I'm sure there are students who would try to use that sort of appeal to get out of trouble or get better grades."

"Eh, fair point."

**"You gambled on me?" He deadpanned, somehow unsurprised at the admission coming from what he had at first assumed was a very professional man. Instead, he just sighed and let his face rest in the palm of his hand. "Who else?"**

**"Just myself, Bartholomew and Ozpin."**

**Great, so his own boss was betting on whether he would crack under the pressure and abuse his position over the students of Beacon Academy? That wasn't exactly a comforting thought.**

"I hope Professor Ozpin isn't actually that unprofessional," Pyrrha muttered worriedly.

"I'm more surprised about Doctor Oobleck," Blake admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

**"Wouldn't you telling me about this count as cheating though? It would make me try to spite you all by resisting as hard as I…." Jaune paused as his mind clicked. "You bet I'd resist, didn't you?"**

**The older man simply winked as Jaune sighed. Sometimes it was so easy to assume the man was a few marbles short, but he certainly was sneaky when he needed to be.**

**"Professor Port!" A female voice shouted out as the white-haired teen Weiss Schnee burst into the room, before pausing. "Oh, I apologize if I am interrupting anything. I was hoping to speak to the Professor?"**

Jaune just groaned. "Professor Port is certainly sneaky." He muttered.

"I don't want to believe that he's the only one who bet that Jaune wouldn't fall to temptation and sleep with a student," Pyrrha muttered with a frown.

"You sure you want to go that route?" Ren asked calmly. "That means this version of you gets no chance with him at all."

"Ah…" Pyrrha made a noise of realization as she slumped in her chair.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune questioned looking at his partner in concern.

**"That's fine." Jaune offered as he stepped away. "I'll leave you with him." It was the least the man deserved, Jaune felt, as he slipped from the room and escaped. If she was going to press charges for the endangerment of a student, then Peter could solve it on his own!**

**In the meantime, he could make his way to the staff room for a well-deserved rest before his next class. Grimm incident notwithstanding, he'd been pretty lucky in Grimm studies to not have to say, or do, anything at all. Though he doubted his good fortune would last.**

**It was while he was lost in his thoughts that he heard some faint sniffling from nearby, making him slow his pace almost automatically as he listened in on the sound. You couldn't live in a house with as many sisters as he had, and not recognize the sound of someone trying to hold in their tears.**

"That must have been hard," Weiss muttered looking at Jaune for his input.

"What dealing with seven sisters?" Jaune questioned as he glanced around the room. "It wasn't that bad." He shrugged his shoulders.

_**Aww man…**_** Jaune's mind complained as he turned to head towards the sound. **_**But coffee! Coffeeeee!**_

**"Ruby?" Jaune whispered as he finally came upon the scene, seeing the small red-hooded girl with her face turned down towards the ground, shoulders stiff. At hearing his voice she seemed to leap backward, quickly rubbing her sleeve across her face and grinning.**

**"Hiya Professor!" She greeted in a peppy voice.**

"Ah, that age-old rule," Jaune muttered as Yang and Ruby nodded their heads.

"What rule?" Nora asked not understanding.

"You'll see."

**"What's wrong Ruby?" He instead asked, knowing full well that he was a sucker for any cute animal looking injured, and that it only got about four hundred times worse when his brother instincts began to kick in as well. The girl's frame hitched a little as she let out a small hiccup but otherwise refused to meet his eyes.**

**"Nothing, sir."**

**Letting out a sigh Jaune knelt down before placing himself against the wall so he was sitting down. Idly he taped the ground to his right, insisting that she sit next to him. He definitely hadn't ever thought that when he applied to Beacon, he would be trying to comfort a cute girl, who wouldn't answer him because she didn't want to break the student's cardinal rule.**

**Don't tell the teachers.**

"OOOOHHHH! That rule!" Nora cheered as she laughed. "I get it now."

Jaune just grinned ruefully as he recalled his own stubbornness about not going to teachers or adults in general about his problems.

"Unfortunately it didn't quite work that well for us," Yang admitted gesturing to herself and Ruby. "You know since our Dad is a teacher too."

**"You know, I said you could call me Jaune outside of lessons." A quick look in both directions told him that the corridor was pretty much empty. "I'm only a few years older than you, and it feels weird to be a teacher."**

**"Hmm…" The girl hummed noncommittally, drawing a sigh from him. The whole comforting thing had seemed a lot easier in his mind. Just walk up, say some nice words, she'd feel better, right?**

**"I still thought I'd be with my team now too." **_**Thought I'd be ON a team…**_** "But things don't always work that way. Things you don't expect go wrong, and before you know it, you're in too deep and there doesn't seem to be a way out."**

**Then suddenly you're responsible for looking after people who are far more competent and skilled than you are, but you're meant to teach them things you don't even know yourself…**

"Definitely need to work on your pep-talk skills Jaune," Ruby muttered seeing how little effect he was having on the other version of her.

"I think it would be more effective if he actually had the experience he claims to." Weiss pointed out needlessly as she shot the Arc a look.

"I said I was sorry," Jaune whined at having his misdeeds pointed out to him again.

**"I'm not even sure what I'm saying. I'm not very good at helping people." He shuffled quietly next to her. "But you're in a better position than me, even now. You have your team, and you're good friends with them. You've got your entire career ahead of you. Everything should be bright for you. Which is why I'm not sure what's got you down."**

**"I'm a bad leader." The younger girl whispered, barely audible to him, though he caught it, just.**

**"Everyone is." He shot back quickly, causing her to recoil in surprise as she stared at him. Internally his mind whirled as he tried to recall the old lessons and tips his father had given him about being a hunter… but they had been when he was naught but a child. "Well, think about it… you've been a leader for what, one day, two if you count initiation? You haven't learned anything yet about being a leader. So how can you, or anyone here, be a good one?"**

"A fair point." Pyrrha agreed, smiling at Ruby who looked a little happier.

"No one is born a leader." Ren agreed as he smiled softly. "Leaders are made Ruby, forged by the trials and tribulations around them."

**"Ehhhh?" The girl whined in confusion, making him frown. Okay, he really **_**was**_** bad at comforting people, that was official. He wanted to be able to offer advice from one leader to another, as his fake records suggested he might. Instead, he drew inspiration from his own actual past.**

**"I hate these little labels." Jaune continued. "Weak, unconfident, not good enough. What do any of them even matter if you never actually get the chance to learn to **_**be**_** better?" It was the exact problem he had faced in trying to become a Hunter. He was so **_**sure**_** he could have done it… if they had let him into Signal. He would have worked harder than **_**anyone**_**, but he wasn't good enough… and they never gave him the chance to get better! "So I guess what I'm saying is that you shouldn't worry about it. Just learn, and try to be a better leader, then you will become a great leader."**

**"Those are wise words indeed Mr. Arc." A voice commented from their left, causing the two to scramble hurriedly to their feet. The Headmaster of Beacon Academy stood watching them, a curious smile on his features. "You should listen to them."**

"I remember that he kind of just appeared beside me," Ruby admitted getting odd looks from her friends. "I didn't hear him approach, didn't see him or even his shadow, and then BAM he's right next to me giving me advice."

"Professor Ozpin is a little eccentric isn't he?" Blake summarized simply.

"Putting it mildly." Weiss agreed.

**"Headmaster!" Ruby gasped as she quickly tried to smooth her skirt. Jaune clambered to his own feet a little slower, wondering if he should be embarrassed at being caught like that by his employer.**

**"At ease Miss Rose." The older man offered with a smile and a quick sip of his coffee. "I only truly caught the end of your little conversation, but you'll find that our new Professor is very correct in what he says." The white-haired man smiled down at the both of them and gave a quick nod to Jaune to show he supported his actions.**

**"Your leaders are chosen based on the abilities shown during the initiation, your very **_**potential**_** to become strong leaders." The older man continued as he stared into the middle distance. Despite the solemnity of the words, Jaune couldn't help but remember that they had actually chosen the leaders based on making the team names work. Then again, if what they were saying was true – it didn't matter who became the leader, because everyone here had the potential if trained right.**

**Sneaky.**

"That…" Weiss struggled to find the words.

"There aren't enough words to describe how that makes me feel." Blake finished for the heiress who looked like she was going to have a seizure at the discovery.

**"-and that is why you must keep your head high and push onwards, as a Huntress in training."**

**"I understand sir! Thank you, and you too Ja- Professor Arc." The smaller girl cheerily thanked them, before sprinting off with her enhanced speed. The two men watched her fade into the distance.**

**"That was a good thing you did there." His boss spoke softly once they were alone, his face falling back into a semi-neutral mask that Jaune could not glean any emotion or purpose from. Jaune scratched the back of his head nervously. He hadn't felt particularly kind or selfless doing that. His entire reason for helping her was selfish in the sense that she was someone he considered a friend… and that she had reminded him of his sisters. He wasn't sure he would have done anything to help, had it been some unknown person.**

"It was still really nice of you." Ruby insisted getting a small smile out of Jaune.

"Yeah now if only you could stop lying." Yang teased getting Jaune to let out a groan at the reminder.

**"As teachers, it is our responsibility to guide and shape future generations. We do this through our lessons, and where we can – excursions into the Grimm infested forests."**

**Okay, that sounded ominous, he really needed to get a chance to go into Vale and see that Roman fellow this weekend!**

**"However, even teachers cannot account for all variables, and as adults far removed from their lives, we often cannot intervene in some of the more inter-personal relations that form. Or the problems that arise from them."**

"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" Jaune muttered getting a little worried for the other version of him.

"What do you mean Jaune?" Pyrrha asked her concern clear in her voice.

"I think he's going to make that version of me a student counselor."

"Oh gods, please no." Weiss moaned as she covered her face again.

**"Do you mean they won't come to us with problems because we're older than them?" Jaune guessed.**

**"They won't come to **_**us.**_**" The Headmaster agreed, before turning to look straight into Jaune's eyes. "Someone more around their age however, they might feel more comfortable with."**

_**Aw shit, he's planning something.**_** Jaune's brain groaned as he shuffled under the older man's stare.**

"I'm sure it can't be that bad," Ren stated trying to calm everyone down.

"Have you seen the issues we have?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah…" Ren could not refute that point.

**"What do you have in mind?" He simply asked, knowing that at the end of the day the man **_**was**_** his boss, and any idea he had, Jaune would be forced to at least attempt anyway. Damn contracts!**

**"I have long considered the position of a student counselor. Someone who can be approached more easily by the students when they might need aid or support." The man once again looked at Jaune. "Someone more easily approached than me… more trusted than Peter, calmer than Oobleck… and less intimidating than-"**

**"I think I get where this is going." Jaune interrupted blandly before the Headmaster could list every single member of the faculty, along with the reasons why they wouldn't be suitable for the role. Personally, he didn't think he would be any better. What did he know of the problems of students in their lives, or what could be done to help them?**

"It's actually really bad that among them the most fitting for the position is the only one who didn't earn his spot there," Weiss muttered with a twitch in her eyes.

"I think Professor Goodwitch could do it, if she toned down the intimidation factor a little." Ruby admitted with a shiver. "she actually gives good advice when asked."

**"I am glad I was not too obtuse." The older man smiled back, though the expression looked more like he had successfully sprung a trap and was now admiring his prey. Jaune had no misconceptions about where he stood in the analogy.**

**"I know nothing of counseling."**

**"You knew nothing of teaching."**

**"I'm not qualified."**

**"No one else is."**

"This… is going to be funny isn't it?" Yang asked looking at Blake.

"It certainly has that potential." She agreed getting a smile out of her partner.

**Jaune sighed as the other man continued to sip peacefully from his coffee, waiting for him to bring up another excuse that he could dismiss with a simple one-liner. The blonde instead just nodded.**

**"I'll consider it."**

**"That's all I ask. Walk with me." Ozpin motioned for him to follow as the two of them traveled through the corridors of the school. Jaune could see students moving about everywhere, some chatting, while others sprinted back and forth. Some were studying, most just having fun in a free period.**

"I guess Jaune doesn't get to sleep anymore since he now has to learn psychology in addition to everything else he has to catch up on." Pyrrha mused with a small frown on her face.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Nora insisted as she laughed happily. "It's our fearless leader after all!"

Pyrrha smiled "You're right, I should just have faith."

**"There are many things at Beacon we cannot teach. Some things we wish we might never have to teach." The Headmaster's voice was calm as they continued their journey. "As students move on in their studies they will be sent on missions outside the safety of the Academy. Away from the protective eyes of our teaching staff. Anything can happen."**

**"Most of these missions end successfully, and without trouble. But sometimes things go wrong. Death, injury… mistakes. Whatever the result, these leave irreparable scars on teams. People often do not know how to handle the grief of a lost teammate. Or even to handle any arguments that might arise amongst themselves. When tensions are high, cohesion falls apart. Without having a suitable outlet for that stress, teams can fall to pieces. Friendships can be lost."**

**"Can't the teachers advise students? Mandatory classes after failed missions or something?"**

"It's a shame that it's not something you can just go to class and learn how to deal with it," Yang muttered somberly as she scratched her head.

"Yeah, you can only learn through experience and just being able to calm down and talk about it," Ruby muttered

**"Those who need help, rarely accept it." The Headmaster sighed, as the two of them entered the staffroom, an opulent room with more comfortable couches and low coffee tables than they actually had members of staff. "Do you recall miss Velvet Scarlatina, from initiation?" Jaune racked his memory for the name… it was the girl he hadn't actually met in person yet, the bunny faunus. She had looked adorably cute, though perhaps that was the ears.**

**"I remember her, the faunus?"**

**"Indeed. Miss Scarlatina is years older than the rest of her teammates, yet was not made the leader. That puts her in a poor light among the others of her year."**

"I can see why too," Jaune admitted with a wince.

"As the one with the most experience, it was expected of her to take charge and lead the younger students, but she didn't." Ren surmised as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"In the eyes of strangers that would make her weak." Weiss agreed with an understanding nod of her head.

**"Is she angry she wasn't made the leader?" Jaune queried, not having expected that of the girl. She didn't look like she had the capability of being angry at anything. She had looked timid in his mind.**

**"No, Miss Scarlatina has no such arrogance or desire for the position. But the problem comes in how the decision might look to others. An older student; held back and put onto a first-year team again… and not even as the leader. It makes her look weak, as though she was held back for incompetence."**

**"But you said it was an injury." Jaune interrupted, recalling the story about her old team, and how they were actually quite accomplished. Enough so, that they could still manage with just three members.**

The teams winced as the conversation continued.

**"Oh, Miss Scarlatina is quite the skilled combatant indeed. But unless she shows such ability, or explains why she was held back. The ostracisation by some of her peers will continue. The matter is only made worse by her heritage as a faunus." The man looked older as he said that, his hand coming to rest on a globe of remnant, softly rotating it.**

**"She's being discriminated against? Racially?" That was a surprise… least of all since Jaune had been convinced that no one really cared about the faunus. Sure he knew about the faunus wars, but his family had always seemed so uncaring if people had ears or horns, that he had assumed everyone else was the same…**

**It was also surprising since he was sure if Glynda saw it, the perpetrators would be **_**killed**_**.**

"They _do _stop whenever Professor Goodwitch is around," Blake admitted, having seen it herself. "But seriously?" she turned to Jaune. "You've never heard of discrimination against Faunus until you came here?"

"I had never seen a Faunus before coming here." Jaune pointed out simply. "Just like I had never heard about aura before initiation either."

**"Can't we stop it, aren't we supposed to?" He asked uncertainly.**

**"Can we tell the Grimm to stop, if she is ever in danger?" The man asked back rhetorically with a deep sigh. "This is a combat school, Mr. Arc. The final school before they are released into the wild world we live in. We cannot afford to hold our punches or pamper people who might not be strong enough to stand up for themselves. If we do… then they will be killed beyond our walls."**

**Jaune's shoulders slumped, though he could understand the sentiment. It made a certain amount of twisted sense that a combat school would actively encourage the students to solve their own problems, ironically **_**with**_** violence if they thought it best.**

"I wonder if that's why the staff usually doesn't get involved in things like this," Pyrrha muttered in thought.

"Probably, I mean it makes sense, in a twisted sort of way," Blake admitted reluctantly.

**"Ah, here." The Headmaster breathed softly, his hands ghosting over the globe until they reached the exact position of Beacon Academy. The name is written in deep cursive script. There was a soft click, as the icon pressed inwards, the globe splitting in half as it opened. Jaune looked on in confusion at the fact that there was a secret compartment in a globe of all things.**

**Sat inside was a single silver thermos flask, which the older man took out carefully, before pouring some coffee into two mugs. Jaune accepted it slowly, letting the heat warm his hands.**

**"Sometimes a little coffee can help put things in perspective." The Headmaster whispered softly, as the two of them took a deep drink in synchrony. The effects this time were muted, but still drove the air from Jaune's lungs in an explosive sigh, taking with it all stress and worried he had first felt. The class had been great… Peter had been great… the Grimm had been great…. Those legs had been very great…**

"Seriously what is in that?" Yang asked curiously. "I actually want some of that if it has that effect on people."

"Might be drugs." Weiss cautioned.

"We should probably avoid it…" Ruby muttered hesitantly.

**"Could the student counselor help Velvet?" The words escaped his lips before his mind had processed them, the heavenly coffee giving him the clarity he needed to penetrate all of the Headmaster's subtle word games. He felt as though he could smell music being written, and feel the touch of atoms fusing.**

**The Headmaster turned to him, smiled softly, before clicking their mugs together in silent understanding.**

**"He could." Was the reverent answer.**

**It was work. More than he had wanted or anticipated, since he was nothing but a fraudulent liar playing at being a teacher. But he had managed to help Ruby. His mother had always told him about white lies, the little ones she gave to make him feel better. Dad was fine, the mission was just late… the dentist wouldn't hurt, sure it would snow this winter. Lies, but they had calmed him, and he didn't love her any less, because she did it to comfort him.**

"Jaune… I think this is a little bigger than a white lie." Ren pointed out needlessly causing Jaune to slump in defeat.

**Could his lies do the same?**

**"I'll do it."**

**"Mr. Arc." The older man welcomed. "I knew you w-" The moment was broken as the white-haired man's eyes widened imperceptibly behind his glasses before he slammed the globe shut with a sudden lurch.**

The students looked on in confusion at the sudden action.

**"Ozpin…" The unmistakable voice of Glynda Goodwitch murmured as she strode up beside Jaune, her face was confused, a clipboard of notes clutched loosely to her breast. "What are you doing?"**

**One of the most powerful men in Remnant stared at her, before spinning the globe under his hands aggressively, a perfectly nonchalant expression on his face.**

**"Playing?" He offered uncertainly.**

**Glynda sighed as she massaged her temples.**

The students shared a look amongst themselves before laughing. "Okay, maybe that coffee really is drugged or something." Yang conceded. "I can't think of any other reason the Headmaster wouldn't want Professor Goodwitch to know about it."

"I'm honestly curious about how Jaune fares as a counselor," Pyrrha admitted with a small smile.

"I'm more curious about his interactions with Roman Torchwick." Weiss pointed out causing the smiles to lessen a bit.

"We'll just have to wait and see I suppose." Jaune pointed out simply.

* * *

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Next chapter July 1


	6. Reading chapter 6

Here is the next chapter of Reading Professor Arc.

* * *

(BEAK)

The two teams shuffled about as they waited for the next chapter to begin. "You think this chapter brings in Torchwick?" Yang asked curiously as she looked at her friends.

"Maybe" Blake shrugged. "It's probably the best time to do so from a literary perspective."

"Ugh, I can't believe Jaune has ties to Roman Torchwick of all people though," Weiss muttered sourly giving Jaune the stinkeye causing the poor boy to laugh nervously.

**Jaune looked around nervously as he made his way through the streets of Vale. Crowds of people were making their way back and forth as they enjoyed the early Saturday morning, but he couldn't discount the possibility of students coming down to explore the city on their first official weekend. Not that he was doing anything illegal of course… he was just meeting someone who was… yeah, okay never mind, it was probably illegal.**

_**This is where I met him last time**_**. Jaune thought to himself as he reserved a small table in the innocuous-looking diner. It didn't escape his notice that the place was absolutely deserted of people. **_**He said to come here and order a drink, and that someone would take me to him…**_

**"Can I help you, sir?" A suited man asked, looking pointedly overdressed for a simple waiter. Jaune wanted to weep at the general lack of subtlety.**

Ruby giggled a little seeing Jaune's inner turmoil. "Do you think that diner really is a front for Torchwick?"

"I doubt it." Ren shook his head. "We can check it out, but I think it'd be a little too optimistic to think he'd have a meeting point like that just sitting out in the open."

**"I'd like a latte," Jaune ordered with a sigh.**

**"We don't serve latte." The suited man replied back in annoyance. Jaune simply rolled his eyes and repeated the order he had been told to give.**

**"I was told to ask for a latte… look is Roman here?"**

"Smooth Vomit Boy," Yang grinned and jabbed Jaune in the arm causing him to wince as he began rubbing the spot.

"Hey, if you're told to do something in order to let your contact know you're there. Then the least they could do is tell the hired help what the signals are."

"Eh, fair point," Yang conceded with a shrug.

**"Uh, yeah sure he's in the back." The man grunted in slight confusion, jerking his thumb towards a door behind the counter. Sighing, Jaune climbed to his feet and walked to the door, wondering if the man would make an effort to stop him. Instead, the suited goon just watched, with a vaguely confused expression on his face.**

**The door opened up not to a kitchen as might have been expected, but instead showed a flight of stairs leading down into the darkness. The last time he had been here they'd done their business at the entrance to these stairs. The man coming up to meet him just long enough to hand over the documents and enforce some simple tips Jaune would have to follow to make sure they worked. Now though, it looked like he was about to go down the rabbit hole.**

_**Welp. No time for hesitation.**_

"Well, that guy's useless," Nora muttered with a small huff.

Jaune chuckled. "Give the guy a break he probably isn't even paid."

"Still, if your job is to make sure no one enters the secret passageway, then you make sure no one enters unless the boss tells you it's okay." She insisted getting a general nod of agreement from the others.

"I'll have to agree with Nora on this one Jaune," Pyrrha added in with a small smile. "That didn't seem very professional."

**Despite the darkness suggesting a long descent, it was really nothing more than a hundred steps or so down into the basement. And as he entered through the small opening, he could see that they were now in some kind of underground warehouse. A number of maps, televisions, and couches were strewn about the area by the stairs, however, while suited men wandered around in the background like little ants in a hive.**

**It was an honest-to-goodness underground base. That was pretty cool.**

**"Hey, kiddo!" A familiar voice called from the left, drawing Jaune's attention to an orange-haired man who was lounging on a wide couch, his feet propped up on a coffee table in front of him. One gloved hand waved at him as Jaune sighed and made his way closer. "Take a seat kid." The man gestured to the single-seater opposite him.**

"Okay… I'll admit, this is cool," Jaune muttered with a grin.

"It really is like a spy movie," Blake agreed with a small smile. "The White Fang never had anything like this from what I remember."

Fox who had been inspecting some items looked up. "Wait you told everyone about that already?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that was like… three weeks ago?" Ruby commented as she looked to her team for confirmation. "I mean, we knew about it earlier, but JNPR was brought into the loop three weeks ago."

"Ah, I see."

**"Thanks for agreeing to help me, Roman." Jaune greeted as he sat down, only to leap forwards in surprise as he felt his rear end connect with something definitely **_**not**_** made of leather.**

**"Bu-wha!?" Jaune stammered in shock as he looked behind him to see that he had almost sat on a petite girl who was in the seat… but it had been completely empty when he looked at it! It had totally been empty!**

**"Yeah, can you avoid crushing my partner, I kind of need her." The orange-haired man grinned, as Jaune quickly shuffled to a different seat and sat down. "Also kid, no need to thank me. This is going to be a business transaction after all."**

"Who's that?" Nora asked curiously.

"No idea, I don't think I've seen her before," Yang muttered narrowing her eyes.

"Besides obviously being Torchwick's partner in crime I don't think it honestly matters who she is." Weiss pointed out getting shrugs from her friends.

**"That's fine with me. What do you want?" Jaune asked as his attention drifted back to the girl he had almost sat on. Not only was she one of the most petite women he had ever met, but she also had the most incredible hair he'd ever seen. Three colors in total, a mixture of pink, brown and cream! She was also incredibly beautiful, in a frail sort of way.**

**"First of all." Roman interrupted, as he gestured towards Jaune with one hand. "Why don't you tell me why you need your aura unlocking? I thought you'd get that handled once you were a student."**

"She kind of reminds you of Neapolitan Ice Cream doesn't she?" Ruby asked innocently

"Now that you mention it…" Blake hummed thoughtfully.

**"Yes well. There was a bit of a complication there." Jaune admitted with a heavy wince. "You see the records were good, a little **_**too**_** good… I've been taken on as a teacher."**

**There was a long silence after the words, the orange-haired criminal blinked slowly, as though he couldn't quite understand what he was looking at. Across from him, the young girl watched on, a definite look of amusement in her eyes. Wait, were those mismatched colors?**

**"Wait wait wait!" The flamboyant man echoed as his feet finally came off the table as he leaned forwards. "You, someone with no training… are now a teacher?" Jaune nodded miserably, knowing full well what would come next.**

Weiss shot Jaune a dirty look causing the poor boy to sink into his chair. "On the bright side it doesn't look like this takes an overly serious turn." Pyrrha tried comforting him though it fell short as Jaune didn't respond.

"I don't think those were the words he needed to hear P-money." Yang pointed out unhelpfully.

**True to form, the man burst out into uproarious laughter, slamming his hand down on his knee as the mirth proved too much for him to handle. Jaune even noticed the girl shaking in her seat, one hand held in a fist before her mouth – even though no noise came forth.**

**"Oh… oh man, that's rich. Only you kid. Only you." It took him a few more seconds to calm down, while Jaune just sat there glumly, not at all finding the situation he was in that amusing. In the end, though, the man did manage to pull himself back together, though Jaune didn't miss him sharing a quick grin with the girl.**

**"Tell you what, I won't ask for a lien over this kid. You can just owe me a favor, yeah?"**

There was a collective wince at the price. "Owing a favor to him?" Ruby whispered softly.

"I'd rather sell my brother," Weiss muttered seriously.

"I thought you hated your brother." Blake countered.

"I do."

"Then how is that a bad deal?"

"They wouldn't know that."

**"Sure." Jaune agreed miserably. He would rather have handled this with money since he was now being paid quite well, but he had a feeling that Roman had something else in mind. Especially since he now knew Jaune was an official teacher at Beacon. "But nothing that might cause any danger to the students."**

**"Little kids aren't really my forte." The man joked. "I'm not going to want anything regarding them. Now get over here, I need to be touching you for this." Jaune stood up and moved over, moving to sit by the man, only to pause when he instead gestured for him to kneel down. As Jaune did so, the man placed a hand on his shoulder and began to intone.**

**"For it is in our infamy that we achieve immortality, through this, we become a paragon of deceitful glory to rise above all others. Infinite in potential and unbound by laws, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, set thee free." The words pounded into Jaune's being as he felt something burst forth from within him, shining a dull white on the nearby area as he looked down at his hands, to see them now surrounded with white light. The hand holding his shoulder released him, causing Jaune to look back up at the man, who for the briefest moment looked a little tired. A second later and the fatigue was gone, replaced with an arrogant smirk.**

"Well, that certainly sounds like him." Ren hummed as he considered the words Roman spoke in order to unlock Jaune's aura.

**"That's some big aura reserves you got there kid. Makes me wonder if the longer you wait to unlock them, the larger they grow."**

**Jaune barely paid attention, too busy experiencing what felt like pure energy now coursing through his veins. Was this what all hunters felt like? This heady feeling of power and untapped ability?**

**"Thank you, Roman." He replied simply. Unsure what else he could say for this boon. No, not a boon… a debt, that he would be expected to repay.**

"This is _so_ going to come back and bite him," Ruby muttered sadly

"Yup." Jaune agreed

"It's going to be hilarious," Yang smirked as she smacked Jaune on the back.

"Ow!" Jaune whined a bit as he rubbed his back.

**"No problem kid, like I said. It's business. But you know…" The man paused here, leaning forwards to give Jaune a serious look that had him almost sweating. "A bit of aura isn't going to be enough to fool those people up at Beacon. Not unless you think you can fight on the level of the other teachers…that is… trained hunters."**

**He winced. He hadn't forgotten that… not at all. He'd just been so busy trying to solve things one at a time that he hadn't reached that issue yet. But the man was right. What happened if he ever was in a situation where he needed to fight? Be it versus a Grimm or a student, or even another teacher?**

**"I know. I've been reading up. Training with your aura activated lets you push yourself further since any muscle damage repairs easier. I'll have to work hard now to catch up." Even as he said it though, he knew it would be a near impossible task. Maybe in the space of a year or two, he could catch up with the tuition achieve in four years at Signal if he worked his hardest. But there was no way he could delay fighting for that long…**

"That is a big concern now isn't it?" Ren hummed, very interested in seeing how Jaune would get by.

**"Why not get some one-to-one training with a professional?"**

**"The professionals would be Hunters and the teachers wouldn't they? I can't go to them for training unless the information gets back to Beacon." He wasn't sure what kind of information network the hunters had if any. But obviously he couldn't really go further than Vale for training anyway, and every hunter here probably knew the staff at Beacon, if not personally, then by reputation.**

**"How about someone less legal?" The criminal offered. No doubt another favor he would need to pay back, but what other options did he have?**

The group winced again. "Another favor?" Ruby whispered in horrified agony. "Please make it stop he's already dead."

"I don't think it's quite that bad yet." Jaune pointed out with a wry look on his face.

"You owe two favors to a world famous criminal." Weiss countered him with a look. "I fail to see how it gets any worse than that."

"He's still alive isn't he?" Blake pointed out.

**"Who do you have in mind?" He sighed out instead.**

**"Neo." The man pointed with a smirk towards the small girl on the other seat, who looked equally as surprised as Jaune himself, as she looked at the two of them over a bowl of ice cream. Neopolitan flavored from the look of- Oh, well if that was a codename then he supposed it was pretty apt.**

**The bowl descended to the table as the girl cocked her head to one side and pointed at her own face in question. Despite being accused of stupidity, Jaune wasn't that slow off the mark, and could at least guess that the girl either couldn't or didn't, speak.**

"Her name is Neo, she likes Neapolitan ice cream, and she _looks_ like Neapolitan ice cream…" Weiss palmed her face at the absurdity.

"Why is it called Neopolitan in the book though?"

"I'm pretty sure you can spell it either way and people will know what you're talking about," Yang explained simply.

**"Yes, you Neo." Roman urged with a small grin. "No amount of training is going to get this guy up to full Hunter level. But if we can focus on getting him dodging even slightly like you, then he can buy himself time to learn the rest." At this he turned back to Jaune, pointing at him. "Focus on defending and dodging, wear them down before going in for the finishing blow. In fact, your final blow is going to be so pathetic that if you don't finish them, they'll probably figure your style is fake."**

**"Will, that really work?" Jaune had to ask. He supposed it made sense to focus his training on one aspect since it cut down the time needed by half. But that would make him pretty screwed if he couldn't manage his defense properly.**

**"It's your best shot kid. I'll give you some offensive tips and tricks, but anyone can be worn down given time. Any brats you might face at Beacon will be even worse since they don't learn to pace themselves. All flash, and no sustenance these kids." He shook his head while mumbling about someone called `Red` of all things. "Anyway, since Neo will be the one teaching you, you'll owe Neo a favor for this instead. Neo, do **_**not**_** use it on ice-cream."**

"You think we could convert her with a promise of free ice cream for life?" Nora asked seriously.

"Do you want to fund that?" Ren asked just as serious.

"I'm a Schnee and I don't think I'd be able to fund that and be able to afford the things I want and need at the same time," Weiss informed them before Nora could bring it up.

**The girl in question crossed her arms and pouted, one leg whipping across the other as she took a defiant pose.**

**"Um… so how are we going to do this?" Jaune asked uncertainly. Instead of answering, Roman simply let a slow and lazy grin creep across his features.**

**"Neo. Beat him into dust and I'll buy you some of those chocolate wafer cones for your ice-cream." Jaune sighed at the ridiculous comment and looked towards the girl to see what she thought, only in time to see a white boot connect with his face.**

Yang snickered "Alright, that was funny."

"She might be worse than Ruby and cookies," Weiss muttered in amazement.

"Hey!" Ruby whined looking at her partner in betrayal.

"Should we start a fundraiser to convert her to our side with ice cream?" Nora asked again still very serious.

"It's beginning to look like a valid plan." Ren shrugged his shoulders.

**"Better kid." Roman cheered from the couch he was still lazing on, right as Jaune slammed painfully into the ground. Practice had taught him better than to lay where he landed, and he rolled away just in time to avoid Neo's foot crashing into the floor. Oh yeah, he'd learned the first time that this girl didn't really know what mercy was. If a person was on the floor, that just made them an easier target.**

**Looking up from where she was crouched, a pout came to the girl's lips as she realized his escape before she dashed towards him faster than he was actually able to climb to his feet, kicking his legs apart so his face fell back down to the floor. Another desperate roll avoided what seemed to be her favorite finishing move. And this time he had enough sense to climb to his feet as fast as he was able, rather than watch the little monster.**

**The training, if it could be called that had gone on for over two hours now. Something he would have found impossible before due to his stamina reserves. Seemed like his aura was working overtime to keep himself going. That was pretty lucky too, considering if it wasn't unlocked then he was sure he would be nursing a broken nose and jaw from her first attack. The brutality of the moves had not decreased since then.**

"Wow, girl's got some stamina in that little body of hers." Yang clapped her hands impressed despite herself.

"Age-old training method at its finest." Ren nodded his head appreciatively.

"What's that?" Ruby asked with a wince as the Jaune in the book took a kick to the chest.

"Beat the skills into their bodies."

_**Even her typical kicks use an almost unfair application of high heels!**_** He thought to himself as he weaved between her legs, using his shield and armguard to knock aside any further attacks. She seemed to favor kicks since she wasn't actually armed with anything, but she was so quick at resetting and chambering her kicks that he didn't have any time to counter-attack! Also, the heels of her boots helped to focus all the force into a single sodding stiletto!**

**His eyes widened as he ducked below a flying roundhouse kick, partly amazed that such a short girl could reach his face. Her follow-up heel drop landed on his shield with a mighty clanging noise, even as the girl's hands were visible below it, propping her up in a handstand while she flipped backward.**

**Jaune didn't bother drawing his sword. There was no way he could actually attack her, apart from the fact that was insanely fast, she was also attacking without a weapon and this was sparring more focused on teaching him to dodge. The other fact was that he was actually finding it easier to block and deflect her blows with his free hand, using his metal plate on the back of his gloves.**

"Wow, she's flexible," Ruby muttered with wide eyes seeing Neo in action.

**"Two scoops if he eats dust in the next ten seconds!" Roman called out tauntingly, prompting Jaune to sigh as the girl disappeared instantly, before re-appearing inside his guard. He still tried to throw himself to one side but buckled over her knee as she blocked his escape, before grunting painfully as her other leg snapped over his back, and she was able to flip him over, just using her hands as a pivot. "Oh man, this is gold."**

**Jaune struggled to push himself off the floor, his tongue probing his teeth to see if any were loose. Luckily it looked like his aura was still protecting him.**

**"I don't see you fighting her!" Jaune called out in a useless effort to shut the laughing man up. The training had been pretty useful so far. Not that he had come any closer to actually beating Neo… in fact that still seemed impossible. But he had definitely improved in his ability to get out the way! Now when he tried to dodge Neo, he only got badly hurt… instead of outright slaughtered in a single attack!**

**That was an improvement, right?**

"Well, yes it is." Weiss admitted softly "But not nearly enough to pass off as a member of staff."

"True." Blake shrugged her shoulders. "I'd a expect a staff member to be able to win against her handily."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Jaune snarked as he crossed his arms.

**"Take a break Neo, you did well." Roman chortled as he climbed to his feet and picked up his cane. "I said I'll teach you a few tricks kiddo. You might want to draw your sword for this one." The man walked up so that he stood a few feet from Jaune, resting arrogantly with both hands atop his metal cane.**

**Jaune groaned to himself as he drew his blade. Trust his big mouth. The way they spoke and acted pretty much told him that Roman was Neo's superior, which probably meant he was about twice as strong.**

_**Congratulations Jaune, your mouth has gotten you in trouble again!**_

"Somehow I doubt Roman is actually the better fighter between the two of them," Pyrrha muttered as she focused on the fight.

"Yeah, I get the feeling that she's the actual muscle in their partnership." Yang agreed as she smirked.

**He adopted a nervous guard position, with his shield held out in front of him, and the sword poised behind in a thrusting motion.**

**"Cute kid. But I want you to attack me, and I'll teach you some tricks." The bowler-hat wearing man bragged. "Come at me as best you can, I can handle it."**

**Jaune shrugged, rolling his shoulders slightly to help dispel some of the pain he still felt from sparring with Neo. He held no thoughts in his mind that he might be successful against Roman. The question was how long he dragged out the beating. In that sense, it was best just to get it over with, and hopefully, learn something from it.**

"This won't be good," Ren muttered with a sigh as the Jaune in the book prepared himself.

**"Rarghh!" Jaune shouted as he charged forwards, swinging Crocea Mors in a wide arc. It wasn't the most elegant of attacks, but it was aimed at center mass, and would probably force the man to block it.**

**The blade of his sword screeched against the metal cane as Roman blocked, but the force behind the strike seemed to catch the criminal off-guard, knocking him down onto one knee as Jaune shouted out in victory and chambered another strike. His eyes widened as Roman grinned up at him, right before a handful of sand and grit splattered into his wide blue eyes.**

**"Arghh!" Jaune screamed in distress, the burning sensation in his eyes causing the world to swim and blur as tears mixed with grit. Angrily he scrubbed at his vision, clearing it just enough to make out the blurry figure of Roman approaching him, his cane moving towards Jaune's left. He slapped it aside with his sword, intent on getting his own back on the crook. Just in time to receive a punishing punch to the face, which knocked him clean off his feet.**

"Dirty fighting." Ren surmised with a nod of his head as if he expected something of this nature.

"I really don't like him," Ruby muttered with a small frown on her face.

**"And that's why you don't keep your eyes on the birdy!" The man laughed, as Jaune struggled on his knees to clear his eyes. A boot kicked into his ribs a second later, knocking him onto his back so he was staring up at the ceiling. Jaune made to push himself up but paused as a boot gently rested on his crotch. Like any man, he froze instantly.**

**"Relax kid, training's over." The boot was removed, as Jaune let out a sigh of relief and climbed to his feet. A hand patted him on the back as Roman laughed and escorted him back to the seating area, letting him fall down into one with a sigh. "You pick up any tricks?" He quipped.**

**"One or two…" Jaune grumbled out angrily, still rubbing at his eyes. "Dirty tricks."**

"Jerk." Jaune groused under his breath.

**"Seems my lesson worked then." He laughed, as Jaune sighed. Neo handed him a glass of water, which he gratefully drank. "It's a lesson to learn there. A fight is about causing as much pain as possible to the other party, as quick as possible. You don't have the time to fight honorably… or the ability."**

**"I see what you mean." Jaune accepted with a sigh. It wasn't how he had ever imagined himself fighting, but Roman was correct when he said he didn't have the time to learn anything better. He would need to do whatever was necessary to win. Even if that meant doing something dishonorable like that…**

**"This won't be enough training though, so Neo might pop in every now and then to help you out. Don't worry, she can find her way into Beacon without any trouble." Whoah, what, wait?**

"This is going to be _fun_" Yang licked her lips as Blake and Weiss backed away from their teammate.

Ruby sighed and pulled out a spray bottle and spritzed Yang in the face. "Bad Yang!" she scolded.

Ah, hey!" Yang complained as she covered her face with her arms.

**"Won't that be dangerous! Neither of us can afford to be caught." Jaune argued… he appreciated the effort Roman was going through to help him out, but he wanted any signs of his more illegal dealings to be far away from Beacon.**

"**Relax, Neo's an unknown at the moment. If anyone asks just say she's an old friend from Vacuo. And she lost her voice due to the trauma of losing your school." Jaune nodded uncertainly, even as Neo pantomimed crying and swooning in apparent agony.**

**It wasn't very convincing.**

"She doesn't do delicate does she?" Weiss noted with a slight drawl.

"Nope," Ruby affirmed while popping the P.

**"Right… sure." Jaune accepted with a sigh, he supposed it wouldn't be too much of a risk… If it was, then they wouldn't be risking themselves doing it. And they **_**were**_** the professionals after all… "I should go though, I need to pick up some books before I head back to Beacon."**

**"Sure thing. Good luck Professor." Roman taunted as Jaune turned to leave, Neo waved at him as he left.**

**Pain aside, the trip had definitely been valuable, solving two of his biggest problems, or at least providing a plan for solving them. He would just need to keep training in his own time. Reaching the steps he began to climb up them, only to pause as he noticed a figure ahead of him.**

"A new baddie?" Nora asked excitedly.

"Perhaps." Ren allowed with a small smile.

**"Oh, my apologies." He offered as he stepped back down, waiting for the figure to step out of the darkness."**

**"Not a problem." A husky female voice replied easily, as a single smooth leg came into view, heel clicking on the floor as a second leg followed. His eyes trailed up the creamy legs, which soon disappeared into a dark red eastern-style dress with gold decoration. Finally, his eyes followed the contours of her body up over her tempting cleavage and bare shoulders, up to her golden eyes, one nearly hidden behind a lock of black hair.**

**The woman stepped away from the staircase, bringing herself close to him as she placed a single hand on his chest to steady herself. He didn't move away, enjoying the strangely hot feeling, even as she paused to look into his eyes with an almost smoldering gaze. She broke contact first, stepping past him as her fingers trailed across his chest to leave him.**

"Wow…" Jaune wiped his mouth to check for any drool.

"Jaune." His partner spoke warningly causing him to chuckle nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. He pointedly ignored the whip cracking noises Yang was making the background.

**As she swayed away, Jaune forced his eyes to remain forwards as he climbed the stairs back to the surface.**

**A definite fifty-six out of ten. What the Hell was up with the women in this town!?**

**"Oh, he's hilarious." Roman chortled softly to Neo as the two of them reclined on their seats, the latter having helped herself to some more ice cream. Roman made a mental note to secure the cones he had promised her, as childish as it seemed. Going back on a deal with Neo was **_**not**_** advisable.**

"There are a lot of pretty women aren't there?" Pyrrha mused as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"Hell, I've considered calling myself a lesbian because of some of the women I've seen," Yang admitted freely.

"Can't you just call yourself bi-sexual since you seem to like both?" Weiss asked with a raised brow.

"You'd have to see them for yourself, Weiss," the lack of nickname caused Weiss to pause in her retort. "If these girls invited me to bed I'd probably agree in a heartbeat." She then sent a Saucy wink towards Pyrrha and Blake causing both to flush in embarrassment.

**"…" The girl silently pointed towards where the kid had left from.**

**"Whenever you want to train him, it would be handy for you to have a few favors owed to you. It's never too soon to start building your own contacts."**

**"…" The girl slyly tilted her head, glancing at him from the corner of one eye. Roman grinned.**

**"Of course while you're there it wouldn't hurt for you to have a look around, maybe map out the place." The girl grinned back at him, the two of them on the same wavelength. Sure he had primarily helped the kid because it was entertaining, and it didn't cost him anything. But now that he was a teacher at Beacon?**

**Well… that had potential, didn't it?**

"Ugh, and more villainy," Ruby whined petulantly.

**"Roman." A sultry female voice spoke suddenly, bursting Roman's happy place almost instantly, despite the faux-smile that spread across his features.**

**"Cinder!" He cheered back, before pointing at Neo. "Neo!" He echoed, adding a little extra sarcasm for good measure. "Coffee table!"**

**The coffee table went up in flames instantly, causing him to curse as he patted the small flames from his shoes.**

Jaune chuckled a bit at the humor.

"She must be the lady who stopped Professor Goodwitch from catching Torchwick that time I stopped his heist," Ruby muttered jotting down the name to give to Glynda later.

"Just make sure to note that we don't have any proof about this Ruby, the Cinder in our world might be innocent," Weiss advised getting a nod from the young leader.

**"No." The woman hissed. "No coffee table. I'm not paying you to sit around Roman, not when there is still plenty of dust to be acquired."**

**Roman sighed as he mournfully looked down at the small burn marks on his shoes. It was barely noticeable… they would have to go. No way could he appear on the news with damaged clothing, think of the reputation! **_**Can't even be bothered to dress up for a robbery!**__**Vale's least stylish criminal…**_**Never!**

**"We **_**are**_** working Cinder. I don't exactly go out into Vale at midday on a weekend to rob shops. That might be a little obvious don't you think?" He knew he was playing a dangerous game here though; Cinder had made it clear that she had need of his services but would have no compunctions removing him if he became a hassle. But Roman was no fool either. If she was so eager and willing to remove him now, why keep him around when it was all finished either?**

"So she forced him to work for her?" Blake muttered thoughtfully. "She must be powerful then."

"She used fire if I remember correctly," Ruby added in.

**"Pray, tell me then Roman. What **_**were**_** you doing here?"**

**"Meeting with one of my contacts," Roman answered instantly. "I have to keep my information network up to date after all. They don't exactly advertise dust deliveries."**

**"That man then…" The woman paused, one finger coming up to artfully tap at her chin. "The tall blonde. He is your contact?"**

"I don't like where this is going," Jaune muttered uncomfortably.

"I doubt it's anything good for this other you." Pyrrha agreed.

**"He is." Roman agreed, a small uncomfortable feeling beginning to form in his gut. It wasn't that he was particularly worried for the kid, he was fond of him. But hardly going to risk his life for him… no, the concern was more that Cinder might test the kid just to judge Roman. And there was no way he wanted his future safety laying on the shoulders of **_**him!**_

**"He didn't back away from my gaze…" The woman murmured to herself, prompting Roman to share a quick look with Neo. The silent girl shrugged. "He is an interesting one. What is it that he provides for you Roman?"**

**"Information on Beacon," Roman replied as honestly as he could. The kid **_**had**_** told him he was the new Professor there, so that was information, sort of… He winced when Cinder's eyes lit up.**

"That's not good," Ren muttered blandly.

"Nope, not at all." Weiss agreed.

**"That will be most useful then Roman. You've done very well. Perhaps when you next see him, you'll think to invite me along as well." It was not a question, but an order. To which Roman nodded uncertainly.**

**As the dangerous woman turned and left them, Roman slumped in his seat, finally letting his uncertainty show. This was bad, he knew he shouldn't have shacked up with this broad.**

**"Neo plans changed," Roman whispered as the girl leaned forwards. "Work the kid to the bone. He's going to need it."**

Jaune winced a bit at the foreshadowing. "Looks like this other me is in for a world of pain."

"Sucks to be you." Yang grinned at him causing him to huff and roll his eyes.

**Jaune strained to look over the top of the small pile of books he was carrying in his arms, the counter of the shop visible in the distance, with a bearded man with an amused grin on his face watching on. Why didn't bookshops have baskets like the markets!? Well, probably because no one else came to buy upwards of twenty books at once.**

**He was lucky he'd been paid his first month in advance to account for any supplies he might need. He just hadn't expected to be spending it all on books for a counseling job he hadn't known about at all.**

**That was pretty much his life at the moment though, he supposed.**

"It's Tuskon," Blake noted with surprise.

"You know him?" Yang asked looking at her partner.

"He owns my favorite bookshop."

**It was while he was bumbling his way towards the counter though that his hip banged painfully into a wooden chair, causing him to stumble forwards as the books clattered loudly to the floor.**

**"Aw man." He moaned to himself, going down onto one knee as he began to collect them, only to notice another hand helping him. A quick glance up the bare appendage showed the bare shoulder of one of his students. Or rather, Beacon's. "Miss Belladonna?" He queried a little uncertainly. He knew her name began with a B, and that sounded close enough.**

**"Hello, Professor." The girl greeted back with a small smile, as she helped him collect his books.**

"Hey, it's you, Blake." Ruby smiled widely causing Blake to smile in response.

"I can see that Ruby,"

**"What are you doing here?" He blurted out in surprise, only to wince slightly at her raised eyebrow. Yeah, bookstore, that should have been obvious.**

**"I wanted to find a good bookstore in Vale on my first weekend." The girl shrugged, piling a few more of his books, before holding one out in front of her. "Teen Psychology: Understanding trauma?" She read, in slight confusion.**

**Jaune laughed nervously, accepting the book and placing it on his pile.**

"I wonder what books you were buying kitty cat." Yang grinned as Blake glared at her.

"Knowing her…" Weiss paused for dramatic effect. "Ninjas of Love."

"It's a good series."

"It's also smut." Blake defended her favorite series.

"You didn't deny that it's good." Yang pointed out.

"Despite what you may think, I also have needs, Yang." Weiss countered elegantly as she flipped her hair back into place.

**"Ah, yeah, I suppose I can tell you." He wasn't sure what plans Ozpin had in place to make his new position a known fact, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to have some information given out to the students directly? "Headmaster Ozpin wants me to act as a Student Counsellor, due to our similar ages. I'll be available to help students with any non-school related issues they might have."**

**"Is that so?" The girl echoed rhetorically, picking up a few more books and scanning the titles. He'd picked up a wide variety, from trauma to general psychology, all the way through to mental illnesses that could manifest. "This is heavy reading."**

**"Ah well. I want to be as well-informed as possible if I'm going to be helping people." He chuckled nervously. Because, of course, he didn't know anything about the struggles they actually went through in any way…**

"That looks like a lot of reading." Nora's head span at the thought.

**"That's probably a good idea." The girl accepted though, handing him a few more before she paused at one of the last books. "Understanding faunus? You have an interest in the faunus Professor Arc?"**

**"Ah well." He shrugged as he climbed to his feet with the books now more firmly secured in his arms. "Beacon accepts all aspiring hunters, human or faunus. I thought it might be best to better understand those I might help… also considering the discrimination they face. Well… I thought I might have some faunus that could use help."**

**The black haired girl looked at him with no real emotion on her face for a few moments, making him shuffle nervously before a small smile broke onto her lips.**

"Blake I don't know if you know this, but that smile will melt hearts everywhere." Yang pointed out seeing the red cross Jaune's cheeks.

"Hm~" Blake hummed thoughtfully as she waved it off.

**"I think that sounds wonderful." She complimented, making Jaune blush at the words. "There aren't many humans willing to help the faunus like that."**

**"Ah well." Jaune laughed the embarrassment off as best he could. "Maybe you should be praised as well then Miss Belladonna. There aren't many your age who would be so open-minded either."**

**"Blake." The girl interrupted as she climbed to her feet and handed the last book to him. "You can call me Blake." The young student gave him one last enigmatic smile before she left him, walking through the door of the shop with a pleased expression on her face.**

"You look really happy," Ren mentioned with a small smile.

"It's always nice to see people in a position to do much good live up to your expectations," Blake admitted getting nods from everyone.

"I wonder what the joke will be though," Pyrrha muttered

**"Thanks for picking me up Glynda." Jaune gratefully offered as he sat on the Bullhead seat next to the blonde woman. "I didn't expect to buy so many books."**

**The woman in question merely shook her head in mild exasperation, before picking up one of his bags to rummage through the books he had bought.**

**"I see Ozpin managed to convince you to take the Counsellor position then. How did he go about convincing you?" Her green eyes scanned over the titles of the books, occasionally nodding to show her approval of his choices. Jaune simply leaned his head back on the seat, enjoying the chance to rest his tired body.**

"Guilt." The teens all commented at the same time.

**"He just showed me examples of people I could help. I suppose if you want to be cynical you could say he played on my emotions." Not that knowing the fact had helped him in any way. It was one thing to know that someone was guilt-tripping you into something – but another altogether to not feel the guilt.**

**"I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing." The other teacher offered as she looked at him through her glasses. "It shows you care greatly for others." Jaune fought back a blush as he looked away from her expression, feeling inordinately pleased despite himself. Despite that, the woman did notice. "You don't handle praise very well, do you, Mr. Arc?" The tone was neutral, though he had a distinct feeling that she was actually trying to tease him.**

**"I never received much of it." He admitted without thinking, before wincing slightly at his error. His records had suggested he was a veritable exemplar of the Hunter ideal, of course, he would have received praise. Luckily though, the woman didn't seem to catch on to that.**

"Didn't receive much of it?" Pyrrha asked Jaune in growing horror. "Were you abused as a child?"

"No, no!" Jaune tried to calm her down as he shook his head. "Nothing like that, it's just… I never really did anything well. Anything I did my sisters did either better or earlier than me."

**"That's unfortunate." She replied after a moment's silence, before hesitatingly laying a hand on his shoulder. If he was unused to receiving praise, then it seemed she was not particularly used to touching people either. "I want you to know that we appreciate your being here. Port, Oobleck and I. And I was truly thankful for your handling the graveyard shift for me Jaune. Even if I didn't make it obvious."**

**"Thank you." Jaune smiled back, doing his best to convey that he appreciated it, but that she didn't need to worry about him. He had the sinking feeling she was assuming he was still broken or damaged from his perceived **_**trauma**_** of losing his last school. "I did that because I wanted to help you though. You look like you do enough work here, without being asked to handle that too."**

"Speaking of which…" Ruby began as she looked around. "Any ideas on that gift basket for Professor Goodwitch?"

The others shared looks before shaking their heads. "Some herbal teas, and maybe a gift card to a beauty parlor?" Ren suggested. "Or a Masseuse."

"Does anyone know her favorite snacks?" Weiss suggested only to receive a negative response. "Hm…it would be so much easier if we knew her favorite foods."

**"Thank you, Jaune." The woman smiled at him, her stern visage disappearing for a moment as she suddenly looked more natural and radiant, before that frightening, though still beautiful, stern mask was back in place.**

**It cracked a few moments later though, a dark blush taking over her cheeks, as she quickly placed a book back into the shopping bag and left it on the ground. She didn't bother looking through anymore, and Jaune was too tired to ask why.**

**Blake almost skipped all the way back to their team dorm. Today had been a good day. Not only had she gotten to Tukson's on the very day the next volume of Ninjas of Love had been released, but she had also bumped into their new teacher – and been pleasantly surprised indeed.**

A grin started forming on Yang's lips as Blake recoiled in horror at the realization of what happened. "No!" she whispered "It's bad enough with my friends I don't need those kinds of looks from my teacher!" she lamented.

Weiss smirked as Pyrrha hid her growing smile behind her hand.

**He wanted to help the faunus. Him. A human wanted to do what he could to help the faunus. Sure it was just the students of Beacon Academy, but it was a start! It proved that there was potential for the human and faunus to coexist peacefully, without the need for violence.**

**Maybe Ruby was right about him after all? Maybe she was just becoming so used to being disappointed with people, that she wasn't giving them the chances they deserved. She would give him the proper respect, if only for how far he was willing to go.**

**Not that the book would be of much use to him… their mistreatment aside, there really was no real difference between faunus and humans. So it certainly wasn't like they had to have different treatments. And contrary to the racist remarks from some people, they didn't need to go to **_**vets**_** either!**

"I'm glad you see me in such a positive light." Jaune grinned at Blake who was still too horrified about the gag the story was leading up to.

"She's gone Jaune," Ruby explained as she waved a hand in front of Blake's vacant eyes.

"Huh…" Jaune rubbed the side of his head in confusion as Weiss finally broke into a fit of laughter.

**She was still becoming amazed at how brilliant Beacon really was. The teachers were kind, with Oobleck and Arc both now showing blatant support for the faunus. Her partner had quickly become her best friend – which was weird considering how different their personalities were. And even though her team contained a Schnee, of all people! She was already beginning to consider **

**"Hey Blakey!" Yang greeted as she came through the door, shopping bag in hand. "Is that the latest in your porn series?" Of course, there were downsides to having Yang as a partner…**

**"It's not porn." Blake hissed in displeasure, flushing slightly as Ruby and Weiss stopped doing their work to watch the upcoming spectacle. Blake was the one who liked to watch other people or entertainment… When had she **_**become**_** the entertainment?**

"Since Yang found out what your favorite book was," Ruby explained helpfully.

"You know it!" said blonde cheered

**"Oh, I bet!" Yang crowed. Reaching for the bag with grabby hands, while Blake did her best to keep her away. The two of them wrestled angrily for a few moments, Ruby shouting her support (for both of them) as Blake strained to keep the bag closed.**

**"Nooo!" Blake whined as the thin plastic bag ripped, Yang taking her chance to steal the book from inside and hold it aloft as though it were some kind of priceless relic.**

**Which Ninjas of Love was.**

Team JNPR laughed at the byplay while Yang began teasing Blake again.

**"Formative Behavioural Psychology, Pavlov and you?" Weiss read lazily as Yang waved the book back and forth, causing the entire group to freeze. Yang brought the book before her own eyes, before looking at Blake with a disappointed expression.**

**Blake meanwhile had frozen. Where was Ninjas of Love: Master of Ninja Wire? She knew she had picked up the right book because she'd been reading it when she bumped into Prof-**

**Blake's face drained of all color, even as her ears beneath her bow flattened against her scalp.**

**A low whine of distress escaped her lips.**

Both teams minus Blake erupted with laughter, even the usually elegant, prim and proper, Weiss joined in. "Why?" she whined as she covered her face with her hands. "Why me?"

"Should we continue or take a break?" Fox asked looking up from his work.

"We'll continue, thank you, Fox."

* * *

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Next chapter July 22nd (week-long vacation 14th-20th)


	7. Reading chapter 7

Here's the next chapter of RWBY reads Professor Arc

* * *

(BREAK)

After a while, the two teams finally managed to calm themselves enough to continue reading.

**"A different office?" The blonde woman questioned as she picked up her books, allowing Jaune to take half with a small smile of gratitude. "Most of us don't have offices per se Jaune. We tend to teach in designated classrooms and retire to our own rooms for any marking. There is always the staff room if you need space, however."**

**"It's not space I need Glynda," Jaune replied with an easy grin as the two made their way down the halls, students flowing around them but never bumping into them. Miss Goodwitch's reputation was more than convenient at times. "I was just thinking that if students want to come to me for counseling, they might feel a little awkward if I was inviting them back to my room." Left unsaid was the suggestion that it might also look more than a little suspect if he was inviting young women there as well.**

**"Yes. That would be… bad." The older woman replied simply, an unreadable expression on her face. "Perhaps I can speak to Ozpin about having another room made available for you. If my memory serves, the rooms by your own are vacant at this time. Perhaps we should take a look at them now and see if either would suit?"**

"Aw, that would've been hilarious." Yang complained as she made vague 'booing' motions.

"This isn't that sort of story." Blake chided her simply, still a little irate for the teasing from before.

"At least he has enough sense to avoid that type of situation," Weiss muttered thankful that for all his faults, this Jaune seemed to know how to mitigate damaging appearances.

**"That would be great." He thanked, pleased that she was taking his side on the matter. He would have gone directly to Ozpin on it but was still feeling a little uncertain about the older man. The look in his eyes and the enigmatic grins that came across his lips still put the young faker on edge. At least with Glynda, he knew where he stood! "You're a life-saver Glynda."**

**"I have a free hour anyway." She waved off his praise, though he could see the small pleased smile tugging at her lips. "Do you have any idea what you're looking for in this new office?"**

**Truthfully he didn't. Which he supposed wouldn't be too bad of a thing to admit since all the teachers knew he didn't have any experience in counseling. What he really needed was somewhere he could dedicate to this role so that any students wouldn't see anything incriminating in his own rooms. For instance books on low-level fighting or basic history – things he really ought to already know.**

Pyrrha shot her leader an amused look. "It's honestly amazing that all these measures to protect yourself end up making you look more and more professional."

"Yeah." Jaune laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

**"Just somewhere I can have a few seats to sit on, probably around a small table or something. A couple of bookshelves might be nice, but probably won't be necessary."**

**"You're looking to model it like a psychiatrist's office?"**

**"Sort of." He agreed, thinking back on offices he had seen in television shows and the like since he'd never been to see one himself.**

Ren snorted lightly "Those reclining seats are ridiculous." He muttered audibly.

"Yeah, why would I need to lay down to spill my heart out to a shrink?" Nora agreed with an energetic nod.

**"I would advise against the reclining seat. Even hunters in training will likely feel more than a little vulnerable laying down like that. But the rest should be fine." Jaune nodded to show he had understood her comment as they continued onwards. Just some normal seats would be enough, so long as they were comfortable.**

**"I'm just worried about the costs…" He mumbled with some small embarrassment. Mentally he knew there had to be some kind of budget for the school, perhaps an expenses allowance. But he didn't know how to go about accessing it and didn't like the idea of demanding it either.**

**"I'll take notes on what we need, and see a proposal drawn up for you." His companion offered with a simple shrug, proving yet again that she was possibly the most efficient and brilliant person in the entire academy.**

"We really do need to do something nice for her," Weiss muttered as the godsend known as Glynda Goodwitch proved her efficiency and dedication to her job once more.

"Maybe we should ask Professor Ozpin for ideas," Ruby suggested. "He's the closest to her right?"

"He's also the one who drives her up the wall the most." Yang pointed out the only real problem with Ruby's plan.

"He might do that on purpose honestly," Blake added in her own thoughts on the issue.

**"Thank you, I'm sorry to add all this to your workload Glynda."**

**"Really, by now I'm used to it." She sighed. "At the very least you appreciate the effort I put forth. Mostly I run around cleaning up after the Headmaster." She didn't seem angry as she spoke the words, but there was a certain irritation in them.**

**"I'm sure he appreciates it too." Jaune offered lamely, knowing he had to say something, but unsure how far he was willing to get involved in the matter. "If you need any help…"**

"Is there something going on between the two?" Nora asked narrowing her eyes slightly as she tried to get a better read on the dynamic between Ozpin and Glynda.

"Honestly I have no idea," Jaune answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

**"Thank you, but I'll be okay. Maybe you helping to calm down the students with this counseling will clear my schedule. Goodness knows I could deal with fewer detentions or students about to suffer breakdowns."**

**"I'll do my best." Jaune laughed as he opened the doors to his rooms and stepped inside, holding the door open to let her in as well, before slamming it closed on the woman's face.**

**"Mr. Arc!?" The teacher demanded equal amounts of confusion and indignation, but Jaune heard none of it. His blue eyes instead focused on the girl sat on his couch, legs propped up over the armrest as she spooned ice-cream into her mouth.**

Both teams winced "You did not just slam the door in Professor Goodwitch's face." Yang begged.

"No… you saw that right." Jaune whimpered thanking whatever gods out there that their Glynda wasn't in the room at the moment.

"Jaune, do we need to have a talk about your self-preservation ability?" Pyrrha asked seriously causing Jaune to crumple onto the floor with a whimper.

**"Guh!" He grunted, mind whirling as she turned to face him, the spoon sticking from between her lips as she cocked her head in confusion. Wildly he waved his arms towards the door to his bedroom, hoping she would get the hint.**

**Neo flounced to her feet with a put-upon sigh, gliding into his bedroom and closing the door quietly behind her, even as Glynda finally opened the door and pushed her way inside.**

**"Mr. Arc, what was the reason for that!?" She looked left and right as she entered, surveying the room, which was now thankfully empty but for the two of them. Despite the relief he felt, his heart was still beating fast enough to nearly cause him physical pain.**

"Oh boy." Ren sighed in aggrievance. "She's trouble."

"I think we understood that before any of this." Weiss supplied with her usual grace.

"She's the type to cause the misunderstanding gags on purpose." Ren clarified his statement causing Weiss to palm her face in understanding.

"I see what you mean." She muttered.

**"Eh-er… It's a real mess in here, I was embarrassed." He offered lamely, wincing at her single raised brow as she looked at the bowl of ice-cream on the table. Literally the only thing out of place in what was otherwise an immaculately clean living area. "Heh heh, let me just put that away."**

**"Your unusual breakfast habits aside Jaune, please don't do that again." She accepted as she placed the books down on his table, letting him scoop away the bowl which was still half-uneaten. **_**I'd best put this in the freezer, God knows what the little devil will do if I throw it away.**_

**Opening the freezer door, he let out a short sigh of frustration at the sight of white blocks of ice-cream boxes stacked like bricks, with not a single inch of space remaining for himself. **_**Fuck's sake Neo…**_** He cursed. Inconvenience aside, he didn't understand why she was using him as a safe house for her diabetes-inducing habit. Roman had said she would sneak in occasionally… but this suggested she was almost going to bunk at his rooms overnight.**

**Oh, Gods, he hoped not!**

Blake smiled "This is going to be the source of many gags isn't it?" she asked Fox who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"It's either Neo or Yang honestly. Ruby stated with complete certainty.

"Ruby?" Yang shouted in shock and betrayal.

"What? It's true." The younger sister defended herself. "Right?" she asked the rest of her friends getting nods in agreement.

**"U-um, would you like some coffee, Glynda?" He offered uncertainly as he left the bowl on the side, being unable to fit it in the freezer.**

**"Do you have any herbal tea?" The woman who was sat on his couch called back, as she rummaged around in her books for something. Jaune poured the two of them some simple elderberry tea and brought it to the table before sitting down himself. Glynda was sat with her back towards the door leading to his room and the kitchen.**

**"Thank you." The woman accepted the warm mug, before taking a short sip. "I prefer the flavors of herbal teas, and the health benefits cannot be understated in our line of work." Tension seemed to ease from her shoulders as she inhaled the vapors. "I've long since been trying to convince the Headmaster and Professor Oobleck to give up their coffee."**

"Well Herbal teas are definitely a must then," Weiss muttered softly as she started jotting down ideas for the gift-basket.

_**That explains a lot actually…**_** Jaune thought to himself, secretly wishing he had some of that heavenly coffee from the kitchens, rather than this… flowery hot water. The sacrifices he was forced to make.**

**"So." She began after a brief pause. "With regards to expenses for counseling, we'll have to have an idea of what equipment we need – as specifically as possible. It won't be enough to have a vague idea, we'll need to know the exact items we need. Do you understand?"**

**"Yeah…" Jaune mumbled back, his nervous eyes staring past Glynda towards the multi-colored girl who was strolling nonchalantly behind the stern woman towards the kitchen. Bare feet padded on the tiled floor as she picked up the discarded bowl and headed back into Jaune's room, waving lazily with one hand as she did so. "Yeah…" Jaune repeated nervously. "Sure… Why not…."**

Both teams groaned at the sight. "You're going to go gray in the hair before you even hit thirty at this rate," Ren noted blandly causing Jaune to frown.

"Thanks for that Ren." He muttered with heavy sarcasm.

**"Are you okay Jaune?" The older woman asked in concern, leaning forwards as though to touch his face.**

**"Oh yeah, I'm great!" He laughed out nervously, his shoulders sagging as he imagined just how screwed he would be if Neo seriously was just going to wander around the Academy like this. She'd be picked up within a few hours, and he'd be forced to explain just how he knew a criminal. Before his past was brought to light and he would be locked away in a dark dungeon for the rest of his life… oh yeah – he felt great!**

**"You're clearly not Jaune." The stern woman chastised as she came around the table and laid a hand against his forehead. With her hand covering the top of his eyes, and her head above his own he had nothing to look at other than the breasts that were in front of his face. "You're very warm, perhaps you should take some time to sit down and rest. You don't have any other lessons today, do you?"**

"You need to calm down Jaune," Ruby muttered in concern as she glanced between the book and the Jaune in the room with them.

"I'm sure he's fine." Yang pointed out seeing the red crossing Jaune's face. "I didn't know you were into older women Jaune."

"Name one straight male who wouldn't react like that." Jaune countered petulantly.

"Ren?" Weiss offered simply.

All eyes turned to Ren who blinked in surprise. "I'm honestly not sure, there's a notable difference between displays of true concern and actions meant to embarrass or tease."

Nora laughed as the others groaned and sank back into their chairs. "That's my Renny!" she called out with a wide smile. In response, Ren simply smiled at Nora.

**"No lessons," Jaune mumbled back, eyes cataloging the interesting things that happened to Glynda's figure as she breathed in and out. **_**I am so going straight to Hell.**_

**"I will sort out the expenses, you rest and get some dinner." She pulled away from him, and he immediately missed the warm contact.**

**"I'm sorry Glynda, I'll be fine tomorrow, I suppose I'm a little under the weather." He called out to her in apology as she paused at his door. The woman turned, giving him a rare smile as she pulled it open.**

"Wow, Professor Goodwitch should smile more." Yang whistled appreciatively.

"I'm amazed she isn't married." Blake agreed with a nod of her head. "Her looks and intelligence? She should be able to get any man or woman she wants."

"Maybe she's bad at that kind of thing?" Ruby suggested hesitantly. "You know trouble expressing her feelings or puts the job before her personal life?"

"You might be right Ruby." Weiss conceded unable to think of a better explanation for Glynda's current relationship status.

**"Don't worry about it. I'll see you soon. You're supporting me in combat lessons on Friday I believe. Rest well." The door closed with a click, even as Jaune's face paled even further. If he had looked ill before… then his face now would have prompted her to call an ambulance.**

_**Combat lessons on Friday!? I don't remember that… shit, four days…**_** Pulling himself to his feet he staggered towards his bedroom. If he was going to be expected to perform in front of the class then he needed training. Neo could-**

**The room was empty. Ruffled bed sheets and en empty bowl on top of a stack of his pillows. His incumbent house guest had made herself a small nest out of the quilt and pillows, before abandoning him when he needed a favor from her.**

"She's behind him again isn't she?" Nora asked with a giggle.

"Definitely." Jaune agreed with a sigh. "She's almost as bad as Jade."

"Who?" Pyrrha asked dangerously.

"One of my sisters." Jaune supplied simply as he rolled his eyes.

_**And yet again I stand alone against the horde…**_** He thought to himself melodramatically as he walked back into the living area, moving over to the comfiest chair and lowering himself down into it.**

**A manly screech escaped his lips a moment later as his rear end connected with something soft and warm, his body panicking as he tried to jump up and move to the side in the same movement, all while being bent over. The result was his body sprawling into an ungainly heap as his face slammed into the carpet.**

**One baleful blue eye watched a barefoot as it dangled before his eyes, the small girl sat cross-legged in a chair he could 100% claim **_**had**_** been empty only two nano-seconds earlier.**

"That must be a really useful semblance," Weiss muttered trying to understand the limitations of Neo's semblance.

**"Is this going to become a recurring theme?" He mumbled into the carpet threads, putting his hands beneath himself so he could push up into a kneeling position. Neo looked as unapologetic as she usually did. A mysterious quirk to her lips, though he could easily make out the enjoyment in her eyes. Clearly yes, she **_**had**_** done that on purpose.**

**"Are you going to explain why you're in my rooms?" He asked once he had managed to navigate his way into a seat. The woman nodded once, uncrossing her legs as she began making a wide series of pantomiming gestures. Jaune followed them closely, discerning something about a box, a person walking and what looked to be people talking.**

**The gestures continued for another minute or so before Jaune sighed, a sinking feeling taking place in his gut.**

"She's messing with him isn' she?" Ruby asked getting the same feeling from Neo that she sometimes felt from Yang.

"Definitely." Yang agreed with a laugh. "This is great."

**"You're taking the piss out of me, aren't you?"**

**The girl nodded once, a beatific smile coming across her features.**

_**Fucking Roman…**_

**"I guess I walked into that one. I take it you heard Miss Goodwitch's comments then?" The girl nodded in response. "Can I ask for your help with training then?" Again she nodded, her smile taking a more sinister edge. Jaune shuddered at the sight of it, not enjoying the feeling of knowing she was going to make his life miserable, but also knowing he **_**needed**_** it.**

"Poor Jaune," Blake noted simply.

"Still at least he's getting some method of training even if it doesn't look very…empowering." Weiss tried to be supportive but only ended up making Jaune groan.

**"I've got some time now before dinner. Can we fit some in for an hour?" Once more the girl nodded, though this time she pointed to her bare feet, holding one out towards him. Jaune looked at the dainty foot in confusion. "You want to fight barefoot?" The girl shook her head and pointed to his own feet, where he noticed two white boots were laid. Oh right, she wanted her boots.**

**Probably hurt to kick his ass barefoot…**

**"Here you go." He offered, holding the two boots out to her. The girl made no motion to accept them, instead of leaning further back into the couch with a frankly shit-eating grin on her face. She wiggled her toes towards him, while Jaune's expression became tortured. "You want me to put your boots on you?" The girl nodded.**

"Okay is this going the Neo route instead of the Professor Goodwitch route like we thought it was?" Nora questioned seeing the actions on screen.

"Route?" Weiss questioned blinking rapidly at the odd term.

"You've never played a visual novel game?" Nora asked in surprise.

As Nora began explaining Visual Novels to Weiss, Ren subtly signaled for the others to keep on reading.

_**What am I to this girl, a freaking slave!?**_** And yet despite the humiliation, he took her foot in one hand and began to slip her boots on, with one pink and then one brown sock (naturally) before moving onto the boots themselves. Neo watched with an amused expression on her face, clearly enjoying the pampering even as Jaune grit his teeth. **_**Remember Jaune, you owe her… your very future relies on her… You're mature enough to rise above her games…**_

**It was while he was lacing up the final boot that Neo finally moved, though the sudden explosion of pain on his left temple was not what he had been expecting. Jaune's body crashed backward over the low coffee table as his arms slammed into the wooden sides, giving him a few nasty bruises.**

**The she-demon in question simply stepped over the table daintily, tying the final knot herself before dropping a piece of paper in front of Jaune's disgruntled face. Elegant cursive writing stared back at him.**

_**Hey kid, remember to fight dirty – R.**_

**"Fucking Roman…" Jaune mumbled out as the girl made to stamp on his face.**

"We'll see how she likes my boot to her face" Pyrrha grumbled threateningly causing the others to back away from her slowly.

**Jaune sat on a soft leather cushion in the middle of the rock garden. The gentle tolling of wind chimes providing backing music to the trilling bird song. In the distance, he could just make out the sounds of the students of Beacon, even as the aches and pains he had received from Neo began to slip away. The sound of a small babbling creek nearby made him smile. Even as he lifted the cup to his lips.**

_**Huh, it's empty?**_** His addled mind questioned, as the illusion shattered to pieces around him, the loud bustle of Beacon Cafeteria coming back into focus as Jaune stared morosely down into the empty mug of Teacher's coffee. All good things had to end eventually, he considered, even as the agony of Neo's **_**training**_** assaulted his muscles once more. Sitting on an uncomfortable wooden bench wasn't helping either.**

**Neo had been about as brutal as usual, having little apparent mercy or restraint when it came to giving him good reasons to duck and weave. After her initial trick, he'd been wary of her every movement, even managing to dodge a final kick after she had called the training over. If only because he had expected some kind of parting shot. Once she'd managed that she'd vanished.**

**Literally. It seemed her semblance was some kind of instant teleportation…**

_**I mean seriously… talk about ridiculously overpowered…**_

"Seriously what's in that coffee?" Blake asked intrigued and worried at the same time.

"It shouldn't be anything dangerous…" Ren hedged hesitantly.

"That's what you focus on?" Weiss questioned incredulously as she thanked Nora for the information on Visual Novels and the few suggestions for god ones. "Not the fact that this apparent criminal has some sort of instant teleportation?"

"I mean… what can we do about it right now?" Yang shrugged her shoulders.

"We'll tell Professor Goodwitch about it the next time we see her, but there's no guarantee that Neo even exists in our world, let alone that she works for Roman Torchwick," Pyrrha assured the heiress.

**"Hello Professor Arc, might we sit here?" A masculine voice interrupted his thoughts as the tired blonde looked up to see a single boy surrounded by three other girls. The boy in question was dressed in the school uniform, though he would recognize the pink lock of hair anywhere.**

**"Of course." He offered with what he hoped was a pleasant smile. "Ren, wasn't it? And this would be the full team Raven?"**

**"Hi, Jauney!" The bubbly ginger girl greeted as she leapt bodily over the table to sit next to him. Jaune offered her a quick nod, while the other three sat down across from him.**

"Hey, it's us again!" Nora cheered

"Is it me or are we not getting along very well?" Pyrrha asked looking at the book version of her team.

"I mean…we basically stole Velvet from Team CVFY, I doubt Velvet is very happy about that." Ren pointed out.

"But couldn't she make an effort to at least be cordial with us?"

"Not everyone can think clearly when under stress Pyrrha," Jaune stated wisely.

**"And hello Pyrrha. How are you settling in?" The redhead offered him a gentle smile as she sat down, with a plate of some kind of salad in front of her. Thankfully he was too exhausted to feel any of the usual awkwardness he felt around her, especially since he had already seen the girl in her underwear.**

**"I am well Professor Arc. The classes are interesting, and Beacon is a very beautiful place. It's very different from Mistral." Jaune nodded to say he understood, even though he really didn't.**

**"I suppose you haven't yet met our final team member. This is Velvet Scarlatina." Ren pointed towards their fourth member, the bunny-eared brunette girl who was actually older than Jaune himself. The girl looked a little uncertain at being introduced to a teacher but nodded politely.**

"They're still bringing that up…" Pyrrha flushed as she ducked her head while her cheeks burned.

"I guess this is where we introduce the first professional problem Jaune has to deal with." Blake surmised as she watched everything with interest.

**"I had heard about you." Jaune greeted, causing a frown to appear on her features. "Nothing bad," he quickly assured. "Just about your existing team, I understand your knowledge is actually quite far ahead of the rest of your year."**

**Flattery was good, right? It seemed to work on Miss Goodwitch.**

**"Ah, I suppose." The girl mumbled embarrassedly. "Unfortunately it was not enough for me to remain with my team though."**

There was a collective wince from everyone in the room at the reminder. "Okay, I see what you mean," Jaune muttered in response to Blake's comment.

**There was a stilted silence after she said this, which even Jaune with his relatively weak social skills was able to pick up on. Thankfully Nora could be relied upon to break it.**

**"Hey, we all got a message about you becoming the Student Counsellor." She piped up, before giving him a nudge with her elbow. "What's that all about?" Jaune recognized the question as an attempt to divert the conversation and went along with it.**

**"Basically I am now the student counselor for Beacon. So any students who might be having trouble with things can come to me for advice, or just to chat. I'll also be available to talk to if there are more serious problems like trauma or depression." Not that he knew anything about how to deal with situations that severe. Chances are he could just read from the books and do his best to use the advice they gave to him.**

"Honestly I think it's good for the school to have something like this." Ren offered his own opinion.

"Too bad our version of Beacon doesn't though." Ruby agreed as she lamented the lack of mental health support.

"I wonder how many just crack under the pressure." Blake sighed softly thinking back on her old partner and other members of the White Fang who could've been steered down a better path if someone had simply taken the time to help.

**"Are psychological problems that big of an issue at Beacon?" Ren asked as he took a sip of his drink. The others had all begun tucking into their own food as he spoke.**

**"I don't think so," Jaune answered as best he could, silently reminding them that he was new here too. "I think it's more if people have problems fitting in, or want advice, or if they are being bullied."**

**As he said the last he let his eyes sweep over the faunus girl across from him, only to catch her own brown eyes narrowed at him. The girl huffed silently and broke eye-contact, apparently displeased with his less than subtle attempt. Unbidden, words that the Headmaster had given a few days ago swept through his mind; **_**those with problems, rarely accept that they need help.**_

"Subtle" Weiss rolled her eyes at Jaune causing him to chuckle nervously.

"Hey, it's not like I'm a professional at counseling." He countered.

**"I think that's admirable." The redheaded girl praised as she laid down her fork. "Would you expect people to make appointments for your time?"**

**"Not really. I'm working on getting an office next to my room made up for this, so people can just knock on my door. If I'm in, I'll help. I think people might become anxious if I make it like a doctor's appointment. Not to mention, some people might not want it made public knowledge that they are receiving counseling. I can be as confidential as people want." Of course, that could end up clashing with his training and the necessity for him to learn all the course material, but if he could actually make it so that he did a fantastic job at this. Then maybe Ozpin would be willing to cut down on the number of lessons he was meant to support.**

**It was a risk, but this could actually end up with him not having to learn quite so much material.**

"Huh, even without medical training you recognize doctor-patient confidentiality," Weiss muttered while rubbing her chin in thought.

"Honestly, it just sounds like a major breach in trust if you tell someone else about the problems of a patient of yours," Jaune admitted.

"That's a good thing to believe Jaune." Ren smiled softly.

**"Sounds like hard work." Ren acknowledged with a small nod. "Speaking of, if you'll forgive the insinuation, you look like you've been fighting an Ursa."**

**"Yeah, I didn't want to be rude…" Pyrrha trailed off with a gentle smile.**

**"I was sparring with someone." Jaune offered simply. "You always need to keep training, no matter where you are. It got a little out of hand, but no one was hurt."**

_**Except for my dignity…**_

Ruby couldn't keep in the giggle that escaped her mouth. Jaune shot her a betrayed look. "Sorry, it's just really funny."

"I find it more amusing how teacher like your responses are." Yang grinned from ear to ear.

**"And they did this much damage to you? They must be quite the fighter." The redhead probed as she looked at the faint bruising along the side of Jaune's neck. Thanks to his aura it was already beginning to heal.**

**"It was hand-to-hand combat, so we got quite physical. She's a lot better at it than I am." He tried to deflect.**

**"She?" Nora queried with a leer, making him curse internally.**

**"She's an old friend who dropped by. If you'll excuse me though, I have some grading to manage. Feel free to knock on my door if you need any support, however."**

_**Perfect escape! And they don't suspect a thing…**_

Ren winced a little "I hope the us in this book don't take that too hard." He muttered as Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha all caught on to his line of thought.

"What do you mean?" Nora asked having missed the context.

"You remember the cover story this Jaune is using?" Blake asked as the other members of their teams began to think.

"He was a survivor of the Vacuo Academy for Gifted Youths right?" Yang asked before a look of understanding came over her.

Jaune blinked before understanding. "Oh, you mean I might have led team Raven to believe that Neo was a fellow survivor that this version of me is reconnecting with."

"Something like that."

**Pyrrha watched the young man walk away, an awkward silence settling over their table as he did so.**

**"You think I shouldn't have asked about the girl?" Nora questioned in a rare moment of seriousness. Her expression was as bubbly as ever, but Pyrrha imagined she could actually see a small amount of disappointment in her eyes.**

**"An old friend might be a fellow survivor of the Academy he was at previously." Their leader pointed out calmly. "I don't think he was offended though, so don't worry Nora."**

**Pyrrha felt a small frown come over her features as she recalled his story to her and Weiss about the Vacuo Academy for the Gifted. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to lose so many people, especially at such a young age.**

"I honestly can't imagine," Pyrrha admitted.

"It… hurts a lot." Ruby stated as she clenched her fists tightly. "One moment everything is fine and happy, and the next someone is telling you that your loved one will never come home again."

Yang quickly pulled her sister into a hug while WB and JNPR all shot each other concerned looks. Once Ruby had managed to calm herself Yang took it upon herself to explain the little episode. "Ruby was… maybe five or so when Mom died on a mission." She explained. "We were decorating the house because it was Mom's birthday soon when we got the call…"

She didn't continue her story as Weiss and Blake quickly pulled the two sisters into a group hug while JNPR kept themselves quiet and allowed the all-girl team their moment.

**"This was your first time meeting him though Velvet, what did you think of him?" The usually quiet boy asked of their faunus teammate. Usually quiet as he was, Ren had almost been forced to become more vocal after having the leadership position placed on his shoulders.**

**And a burden it was, as far as Pyrrha could tell. Ren seemed to be the kind of person who wanted to fade into the background, and instead, he was forced to try and act as a mediator between the four of them.**

**"He seemed alright." The brown-haired faunus replied distractedly. Making Pyrrha sigh morosely. When she had first come to Beacon, gaining a partner had been the one thing she had looked forward to more than anything else. Of course, she'd been worried that she might end up with a **_**fan**_**, but had still put that aside – knowing whoever her partner was, they would become close.**

"Geez, I know the author or god… whatever they are didn't mean to, but they keep hitting us with the feels." Nora muttered as the story hit another sensitive topic.

**And then she had gotten Velvet Scarlatina…**

**She was friendly, polite, skilled, nice… and already had someone she considered her partner. No room for Pyrrha Nikos as far as she was concerned.**

**With Ren and Nora having their own little thing… whatever that thing was. And Velvet constantly hanging around with her old teammates at every available opportunity… it didn't leave Pyrrha with anyone to bond with at all.**

**Beacon hadn't become everything she had hoped for. In the end, it was no different from Mistral.**

"Ouch." Nora winced "We're not that bad are we?" she asked Pyrrha and Jaune.

"Sometimes it seems like you two are off in your own little world," Jaune admitted with a silent apology.

"It doesn't happen as often as this book seems to imply," Pyrrha added in seeing Nora deflate.

_**I wish someone like Jaune could have become my partner…**_** She echoed in her mind, remembering words she had whispered when they had first met. Upon hearing about him becoming the student counselor she had thought about going to see him. Someone who could help people fitting in, who were having troubles settling into Beacon? She didn't think that description fit anyone in the school better than it did her.**

**The question was more along the lines of did she dare do it? Going to see a counselor was akin to admitting your weaknesses, and while she was mature enough to know she had them… it made her feel too much like a patient. Someone who needed help.**

_**Could it really hurt though, just to talk with him?**_

"The dogma of counseling," Weiss noted with a pained sigh. "No one likes a appear weak even if it's something like this."

"In that sense, Pyrrha is really strong and self-aware to seek aid herself rather than be told that she needs it." Blake pointed out causing the champion to blush a bit.

**It was three hours later when the redhead had finally mustered the courage to be standing before the door to his rooms. With the fact it was past seven at night, she already felt more than a little nervous to be a young woman standing outside the doors to a teacher's bedroom… oh, how they would speak if they saw this…**

_**No, be brave girl.**_** She urged in her mind, before throwing caution to the wind and rapping on the door with her fist. She had crossed the line now, and there was no going back.**

**The door opened a few moments later, the young blonde man that she had been thinking of standing before her in more casual attire than he usually wore. Little more than jeans with a simple dark navy hoodie.**

"He looks nice in that." Pyrrha mused happily. Jaune blushed at the compliment while the others simply rolled their eyes.

**"Pyrrha?" He questioned in surprise, drawing a small blush from her at using her name so casually. Now if someone saw them they really **_**would**_** talk!**

**"Hello, Professor…" She greeted back nervously. "You said if we needed help…" She trailed off uselessly, unsure what to say, but he seemed to understand her point. Stepping aside and motioning for her to come in.**

**She took a deep breath as she stepped past the threshold, letting her eyes roam over the room. To her relief, there was no bed, or anything too personal. It just looked like a small apartment, with a living area and a kitchen. She did jump however when the door clicked shut behind her.**

There was a muted expression of humor from her friends causing Pyrrha to frown at them.

**"I didn't expect to receive anyone so soon, to be honest, I'm a little unprepared…" The professor trailed off, making her feel even more embarrassed. Sure he had said he was to become counselor, but clearly, it wasn't official yet.**

**"I can go Professor." She offered a little miserably before he waved his hands.**

**"No, no. Don't." He offered her a smile as he led her to the seats around the table and pushed her down into one. "No time like the present, besides at least we've met before. And please for the love of God call me Jaune. I'm not **_**that**_** much older than you."**

"I can just imagine the scandals now." Weiss drawled as she smiled at Pyrrha. "Pyrrha Nikos seduces teacher."

"HEY!" Pyrrha turned bright red at the remark and quickly tried to make Weiss stop as the others began teasing her as well.

**Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle at the aggrieved look on his face as he slipped into the kitchenette area and poured the two of them some cordial.**

**"Thank you, Jaune." She accepted the glass and took a sip, hoping to grant herself some fortitude. "Honestly I'm not sure what to say here…"**

**"I think you just say whatever you want." The older man grinned. "Anything you're feeling, best to just get it out, the worst that can happen is that I don't know how to help you. Best case scenario, we fix it and you feel happy. Sounds like it's worth the risk to me."**

"I never did understand how therapists or psychologists worked or helped their patients through their problems," Yang admitted.

"I believe they operate as a medical doctor." Weiss offered her own input. "Ask questions about the issue, offer their own inputs, and make suggestions based on what they know."

**Fix it and make her happy? It did sound like it was worth the risk when he put it like that.**

**"I'm not fitting in with my team." She let out in a single blast of air, making sure to keep her green eyes locked on her glass. She didn't want to see his sympathy or his pity.**

**"Really?" He sounded surprised, she supposed he was. They looked perfectly fine. "What's the problem?"**

"I suppose to a stranger it would look like our team is just fine," Ren noted recalling how Team Raven had acted in front of Jaune earlier.

**She explained the situation as best she could. The history behind Velvet and how the other girl was always taking every chance she had to be with her old team, leaving Pyrrha to sit alone while Ren and Nora chatted away. She even told him about the reasons she had left Mistral in the first place, to escape her fame from the competitions there.**

**To her surprise, he hadn't even known.**

**"It's not like there was much television to watch when the school went down. I had too much to do other than watch young hunters in training fight one another."**

**She liked that he didn't know, and that apparently compared to the dangers he had faced – her achievements were relatively worthless.**

"The actual reason I didn't know about it, was because our parents blocked all the Hunter related channels back home," Jaune admitted.

"Blocked?" Ruby asked in surprise.

"Dad always said that the media and T.V. shows all lied about what it meant to be a hunter."

**"Well…" He offered, once she had run out of steam and was sat before him, breathing heavily. To her surprise she found herself relaxing despite the emotional turmoil. It was… nice… to just get it all out.**

**"I think I can understand your problem then. Ren and Nora have too much history, as does Velvet. She's definitely being unfair to you, but at the same time she's probably terrified that her old team will leave her behind." Pyrrha nodded to show she understood, having long ago resigned herself to not actually being angry towards Velvet. The young faunus was never cruel intentionally, and was it really so wrong that she loved her original team?**

**"What about Weiss? You're friends with her aren't you?"**

**"Weiss… is quite enamored with the fame behind my name… it's how we first met. She was a spectator at a tournament, and her father paid for her to meet me once I won." Left unsaid was the fact that Pyrrha had been polite and receptive to the girl. Her sponsors demanded she be. But she still felt guilty at the fact that her attitude towards Weiss had been nothing short of fake.**

Weiss blinked in surprise. "Really, that's what you thought of me?" she asked the champion who looked away guiltily.

**"Really? Isn't she pretty famous herself though?"**

**"She's the heiress to the Schnee fortune and business. I suppose she is quite famous." At least as famous as the child of a wealthy person could be. Weiss had complained to her before that her reputation was often based on what her father had, with few being willing to actually learn anything about her.**

**"Maybe she wants to be your friend because she feels you can be an equal? Like you not caring about her fame, and she won't care about yours."**

**Pyrrha considered the words, wondering if that might be the case. It wasn't an angle she had considered before, instead, believing that Weiss wanted to be her friend to further increase her standing and reputation… was Pyrrha judging her based on her father's reputation too?**

Pyrrha smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry about that Weiss."

"Don't worry about it, I can understand why you'd think so."

**"Maybe…" It was definitely something to think on.**

**"Actually, I might know someone else you could chat with too. She's a little shy but really wants to make friends." He sounded quite pleased as he spoke, and despite herself, she couldn't help but feel a small thrill of excitement. "Now that I think of it, she feels pretty left out because she was so good as she was accepted into Beacon two years early. Maybe the two of you could relate on that front."**

**"The leader of team RWBY?" Pyrrha queried, remembering fighting alongside the small red girl briefly. She had been friendly enough, though the situation hadn't allowed for much in the way of socializing. Still, the idea that the girl had been promoted early was interesting.**

"Oh, my gods! Pyrrha it's our turn to be besties!" Ruby cheered before latching onto the taller girl causing Pyrrha to laugh.

"It's a little early to say that, but it looks like we get along just fine." She allowed smiling brightly as Jaune just grinned.

**"Yeah, Ruby. And if you're worried about her becoming obsessed over you, you might as well not. But she might go a bit crazy over your weapons." He leaned forward with a smile, as though whispering something secret to her. "She's a bit of a weapons-nut."**

**"I think I'd like to meet her." Pyrrha giggled, before jumping slightly as a loud thumping noise came from one of the other rooms. "What was that?" She asked. The blonde across from her startled slightly but waved her concern away.**

**"Don't worry, I left my sword balanced on my bed, I think it fell off." He explained with an easy laugh. "Anyway, I can introduce you to Ruby tomorrow. It might even help for team RVNN to make friends of team RWBY."**

"It was probably Neo," Yang smirked a bit, wondering what kind of mischief the mute girl would get up to next.

"Speaking of which, do you think she's our age or closer to the age Jaune claims to be in the book?" Blake asked since her short stature just seemed to be a character trait rather than an indication of her age.

"I'd imagine she's in her twenties." Weiss guessed with a shrug of her shoulders. "She's too skilled to be our age considering she's managed to evade law enforcement for however long she's been Torchwick's partner.

**"I suppose it couldn't hurt." Pyrrha agreed, feeling some of her old confidence return to her. Maybe the reason she didn't have any friends was because she was so focused on it **_**having**_** to be Velvet. If Velvet could be best friends with another team, then couldn't she as well? "Pr- Erm, Jaune… can I ask you what it was like for you when you started out?"**

**"Me?" The man questioned, looking more than a little uncertain. He fiddled with his hands for a moment, no doubt recalling memories he had sealed away long ago. There was no telling what he had gone through, the things he had seen.**

**"Just things like… did you get on with your team?"**

"I wonder how he gets out of this one." Nora wondered aloud with another giggle. "This is so interesting!"

**"Oh well… er… At first, it was difficult. They were all very different… and I didn't feel like I fit in." He sounded nervous at first but began to pick up confidence as he recalled those times. "One was filled with hot air… he liked to boast and tell wild stories but was always jovial. Some people called him simple, but I think he was more cunning than others let on." Pyrrha closed her eyes as she tried to imagine the people he described, simply enjoying the sound of his voice.**

**"Another was strict and stern, a real disciplinarian. I think everyone else was afraid of her, but I could never really tell why. She was always willing to help out in her own way… but it was always by being efficient, not really by talking. Just… if something needed to be organized, she would do it, faster and better than you ever could. Then act surprised when you thanked her. Like she couldn't believe you would take the time to appreciate the effort she was putting in…"**

**"The last was a little crazy, hyper-active almost. He liked to learn things, anything, and hated ignorance more than anything else. He always acted like there was never enough time in the world, so you had to make the most of it instantly. He also hated injustice, especially prejudice."**

"He's describing our professors." Blake pointed out in monotone.

"Oh, yeah he is, isn't he?" Yang muttered as she took a moment to think about it.

"Granted I doubt any of the students would notice," Weiss added on as Ruby simply smiled at Jaune trying to help Pyrrha.

**He went silent after that, and she didn't probe any further. Already imagining what the team might have been like. Such different people, it almost made her think of her own team. The silent and enigmatic Ren, the boisterous and chatty Nora, and the polite, yet distant Velvet.**

**"They sound like great people." She offered simply.**

**"They ar-were." He replied back, scratching the back of his head nervously. Pyrrha took a deep breath, before climbing to her feet and smiling. Nothing had really changed from coming here, but she still felt a lot better. She had a plan for the coming days, and if nothing else it felt nice to just talk to him like a friend anyway.**

**"I think I should go, thank you for helping me Jaune."**

"I'm always happy to help Pyrrha." Jaune offered causing his partner to blush slightly.

"Thank you, Jaune." She muttered playing with her hair.

**He rose before her, his face looking confused in a way that almost made her blush. He really was handsome, and caring too. Taking the time to just sit with her and help with her problems.**

**"I'm not sure what I did to help…" He offered, but she simply smiled wider at him.**

**"You helped me anyway, I… I enjoyed talking with you." Her face flushed as she forced those words out, but she still remained looking at him as he smiled.**

**"After Oobleck's history class tomorrow stay behind, I'll introduce you to Ruby. I think you'll get on great."**

"It looks like Jaune is a great counselor after all," Ren noted with another smile as Nora cheered and hugged Jaune.

**"I will," Pyrrha promised as she let herself out the door, knowing that the next day would be easier than the last had been. Even if she didn't get along with Ruby, she could always talk with Weiss.**

**Or maybe Jaune again…**

**That would be nice…**

**Jaune sighed in relief as the redhead left his rooms, allowing him a moment to slouch back in relief. Somehow he'd managed to fumble his way through that one, despite having failed to open a single of the psychology books he had purchased the other day. What a relief!**

_**I can't say I expected Pyrrha to be the first one to come here though… I really expected it to be Velvet.**_

"Somehow I doubt Velvet will go to Jaune for help," Ruby muttered nervously.

"Yeah, I got that feeling too." Her sister agreed which was nice and made her less nervous about the input.

**Which just went to show how much the plan couldn't survive contact with the enemy and all that. And speaking of the enemy! Neo…**

**With a sigh, he made his way towards his bedroom, keen on explaining some ground rules to the silent little sociopath. Really, for a mute girl, she sure could make a loud thump when he was talking with people outside. With a single shove, he pushed the door open and stepped inside**

**"Look N-" He paused, eyes wide.**

"And all of a sudden I don't think it's Neo." Nora cut into the reading making her own observation.

"Somehow I think I know who it is," Pyrrha muttered shooting Blake and Yang an amused look.

"Why would you think it's us?" Yang asked looking off-put by the accusation.

"Because Blake got her book switched with Jaune's," Weiss explained causing Yang to place her fist in an open palm.

"That makes a lot more sense."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Yang." Blake glowered

**Lacking was the pink, brown and cream hair and pale little body. Instead was blonde and black, staring back just as nervously. The blonde had her hands deep in one of his drawers, while the black-haired one was crouched by one of the shelves near his bed.**

**"This isn't what it looks like!" Yang shouted out, still elbow deep in his underwear drawer. Her hands came out with a mighty pull, spilling boxers and socks across the floor as she sat back on her rear, lilac eyes wide. Dangling on the end of her nose was a single lacy pair of girl's underwear. The pink and brown embroidery on the cream garment made Jaune's eye twitch dangerously.**

_**Somehow this is all your fault Neo…**_

"I can't believe you two raided a teacher's underwear drawer." Weiss palmed her face.

"I can't believe Neo managed to get her stuff to his room without anyone noticing," Ren added in.

"I can't believe how hungry I am." Nora groaned as she held her stomach. "Let's go eat!" as the two teams laughed Fox smiled warmly.

"Go on and enjoy your day." He urged them as they began standing up to stretch. As the two teams filtered out of the room Fox pulled out a slip of paper. "Temporary guest" It read. "Well, then shall we invite another person to read a little bit?" he asked himself channeling the image of the person he wanted to invite. "Go." As the slip of paper flew out of the room Fox sighed and took a seat once more.

"Another request to host a viewing party…" he muttered looking over the request "Really now, there's so many out there already."

* * *

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Next chapter Aug, 5


	8. Reading chapter 8

Next chapter of RWBY reads Professor Arc.

* * *

(BREAK)

Fox glanced up from his papers as the door opened once more. "I see you've returned!" he announced standing up.

"Yup! Lunch was great, we even got our training for the day in and we bumped into team CVFY!" Nora babbled causing the others to smile.

"Speaking of which, is it alright to invite others here to read every now and then?" Ren asked curiously.

"I don't see why not, I was only told that I needed the eight of you." Fox shrugged his shoulders.

"Cool, we might bring CVFY with us the next time we see them then." Yang cheered always willing to chat with the fashionable leader.

**Jaune's wide blue eyes roved over the room, idly noticing the mess that now covered the floor, as well as the still disheveled state of his bed, before finally coming to rest on one of the two intruders in his room. The black-haired girl looked a mixture between terrified and horrified, mortification mixing with fear to create an expression that was difficult to not laugh at. Her blonde partner-in-crime only looked nervous in comparison, though that expression deviated a little as her lilac eyes began inspecting the lacy underwear once more.**

Yang started to laugh as Blake covered her face in mortification. Weiss sighed tiredly. "I'll say it again…" she drawled looking at her two teammates while the others shuffled in their seats uncomfortably. "I can't believe you two raided a Teacher's underwear drawer."

"It wasn't on purpose…" Yang pointed out unhelpfully.

"I'm not sure that matters." Pyrrha opined with a disapproving look on her face as Ruby just sank into her chair and pulled her hood over her eyes.

_**Fucking Neo.**_** He cursed once more in his mind, taking a brief moment to glance at the open drawer, in which he could easily see more sets of female underwear mixed with his own. The ice-cream taking over his freezer had been annoying, but he'd assumed it was a one-off thing. Her making sure her addiction could be sated after training.**

"Do… you think fearless leader is okay?" Nora asked looking a little confused by Jaune's lack of reaction to two girls hands deep in his underwear drawer.

"I'm sure he's just tired to the point things aren't really registering to him," Ren assured her. "It does not appear that there is anything physically wrong with this version of Jaune at the moment."

**Her clothes taking over his drawers painted a much darker picture.**

**"I know I said it once." The blonde girl began, speaking slowly into the silence. "But I thought I should maybe make my point clear, this totally **_**isn't**_** what it looks like."**

**Oh yeah, people, his rooms. He'd nearly forgotten.**

Jaune shifted his attention to the blonde bombshell, his face in deadpan. "Do tell me how it's not what it looks like." He questioned sarcastically.

Yang just laughed nervously while Blake palmed her face in exasperation.

**"I don't even know what it's supposed to look like." Jaune sighed out, not sure what he was meant to do in this kind of situation. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Glynda's notes on how to deal with students hadn't really covered young women breaking into your room and playing with your boxers. "Other than you breaking into my room for some nefarious purpose."**

**"Well, there you go." Yang jumped on a chance. "That's where it's not what it looks like. Our purpose is anything but nefarious." She nodded her head along with her words, as though to somehow make them more acceptable. In return Jaune just felt a headache coming on.**

"Well, I suppose it's not wrong," Jaune muttered with a put upon sigh.

"Yeah, Blake's just desperate to get her porn back." Yang laughed causing Blake to hiss.

"It's a masterpiece of a book!" she insisted causing Ruby and Weiss to roll their eyes as an age-old argument between the two started up again.

**He could give detention, he supposed? But then he would need to bring them to Glynda and explain what had happened to cause that. The problem was, he didn't really want to explain to Glynda that he had a bunch of young women in his bedroom… the sheer embarrassment aside, it would also drag his night on by a couple of hours – and after his earlier training and a full day of work, that was the last thing he needed.**

"You wouldn't!" Yang and Blake both hissed as they set aside their previous argument.

"And who else could be trusted to deal with two rule-breakers of this caliber?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Port?" Yang put out without much confidence.

"Oobleck" Blake added in.

"As you can see Professor Goodwitch is the only real choice here," Weiss concluded with a satisfied smirk.

**Then there was the fact that what they had done could actually be considered criminal… it was one thing to sacrifice them to Glynda's tender mercy, but another to have to explain to the police what had happened… That might cause them to dig a little into his own past, and that way lay disaster.**

**"But you still broke into my room?" He instead pointed out, stalling for time.**

**"We didn't **_**break**_**-in." The blonde corrected. "The door was unlocked, we walked in. In fact, you could say we simply got lost! Right Blake!?"**

"Wow, we are grasping at straws here," Yang muttered a little disappointed that she couldn't come up with a better excuse.

"I didn't even think of the legal ramification of what you've done…" Weiss muttered placing her face into her palm.

"They're not going to jail are they?" Ruby asked timidly.

"I doubt it," Ren assured the younger girl. "Like this version of Jaune said, that would bring too much attention onto him as well."

**"…" The Black haired girl didn't respond. Amber eyes still wide as they were fixed on him.**

**"Blake agreed." Yang nodded.**

**"She didn't say anything." Jaune pointed out with a deep sigh, leaning back so that he was resting on the door. It wasn't the moral support he needed, but at least the door didn't do its best to confuse him.**

Pyrrha giggled as the scene continued to play. "I'm sorry, this is just getting funnier to me." She apologized.

**"She's quiet like that, really shy." The blonde girl continued blithely, one arm gesturing dismissively at the other girl, whose face was now resting in her hands, shaking back and forth in mute horror.**

**"And so, lost. You decided to search for an exit not by the door, but within my clothes drawers?"**

**"As well as being shy, Blake's also **_**really**_** bad at directions."**

As Pyrrha descended into another fit of giggles Blake shot Yang an unamused look. "Really?" she asked quirking a single brow.

"I don't see you helping," Yang growled as Nora buried her face into Ren's side to muffle her own laughter.

**His headache was growing, he knew exactly what she was doing. Trying to drag his attention on so many different tangents that he couldn't keep up with her. Confusing and distracting him from what she had done, so he might forget. It was something he or his sisters had done countless times when they had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. On the giving end, he had always thought it quite the clever tactic.**

**On the receiving end, all he could do was praise his parents' patience.**

"Ah… you think Dad just nodded along and pretended to believe us?" Ruby asked suddenly nervous about all those times in the past she and Yang had done the same things.

"Nah, I think Dad actually did fall for it," Yang stated confidently. "But only because the things we blamed on Uncle Qrow were things he'd actually done in the past."

Weiss just sighed as Blake offered a silent apology to whoever this Qrow fellow was.

**"This is a serious issue Miss Xiao-Long." Jaune sighed out, fixing her with the hardest glare he could muster. Somewhere between what he had seen Glynda pull off, and the look his father would give when he was both disappointed and angry. Jaune was sure he didn't pull it off very well, but the blonde climbed to her feet and straightened regardless.**

**"Shutting up now." Yang parroted, miming a zipping motion across her lips.**

"Oof." Nora laughed. "I think I'd definitely submit to that if I didn't know what you're really like fearless leader!" she laughed again and slapped Jaune's back getting a small wince from the knight.

Yang nodded seriously. "Get some muscle on him and a stronger reputation, and it would definitely work."

**Jaune felt the need to sigh again. Okay, so he had control of the situation right now – that was good, right? Except that he didn't really know what to do with it, and the mounting silence was no doubt becoming as tense for them as it was himself. His options were fairly limited really. He could hand them over to Glynda, and run the risks involved. No doubt she would be willing to handle everything without his input, but it might mean more trouble later on.**

**Alternatively, he could sort something out himself, punishment or otherwise… The question was what to give them? If he set the punishment then really he wouldn't need to explain to Glynda what it was they had done wrong, which was definitely safer. He could just make something up if she asked. Though he would need to make sure these two would stick to that story.**

"Yes please handle it yourself." Yang pleaded, teasing Jaune who simply blushed a little and looked away.

**"Right… so, if Miss Belladonna would answer this time. Why were you in my room?" It was clear he wasn't going to get anything out of Yang, she was too confident and too cheeky, and honestly, she still scared him a little. At least Blake seemed to respect his authority a little more.**

**"…We got lost."**

**Or then again, maybe not.**

There was a round of laughter from the two teams. "Nice one Blake." Yang applauded holding her hand out for a high five.

As she indulged her partner Blake smiled softly. "Anytime partner." She offered softly prompting Yang to pull her into a light hug. Sighing in amusement Blake allowed it as Yang laughed.

**"Et Tu, Miss Belladonna?" Jaune sighed, getting a nod of confirmation from the black-haired girl. From the corner of his eye, he could see the tiny smirk that appeared on Yang's features for a nanosecond before she wiped it clean. And here he had thought that Blake of all people would have been mature enough to just tell him the truth, instead of sticking to that ridiculous tale.**

_**Why do I feel like I'd have to resort to genuine torture to get anything out of these two?**_

"Maybe some… punishment?" Yang suggested coyly causing Jaune's face to light up like a neon sign.

"Yang…" Pyrrha warned the blonde with a dangerous look. Yang gulped nervously and nodded quickly.

**It was the age-old holding the line against a teacher. The last time he'd experienced it was Ruby refusing to admit that she was upset, and now he was faced with Yang and Blake refusing to admit their reasons for breaking the rules. Sisters in arms against a common enemy, except he was the enemy and none of it made sense because it was **_**his**_** bedroom they had broken into – and he just wanted to **_**fucking sleep!**_

"Poor Jaune." Pyrrha mused as her team leader shot her an odd look.

"I'm right here Pyr, it's fine I'm sure."

Pyrrha blushed a little. "This is interesting, like a T.V. series."

"I see…" he didn't, but that wasn't the point.

**"You're both in detention this Friday. Six until eight. My office." That would give him two days to think of something for them to do, and would also be after his work with Glynda in her combat classes. Somehow he knew he'd come to regret the decision, but the alluring temptation of his warm bed pushed that aside.**

**"Understood sir." The Dark haired girl accepted, while the blonde simply shrugged but nodded. Jaune let out another sigh. He couldn't help but feel like the villain in this situation, and that wasn't a role he was used to.**

**"Look. I'm trying to be fair here. In fact, I'll even pretend this whole `breaking into my room` thing never happened. If anyone asks what you did to receive a detention, you can just say it was dress code or something. Or being caught after curfew. Your punishment **_**should**_** be a lot worse."**

"Two hours for breaking into a teacher's room, talk about lax punishment," Weiss commented with a disappointed shake of her head.

"Did you want us to suffer?" Yang asked incredulously.

**Neither of them responded. The two instead just watching him with the cautious gazes of two animals in the presence of a predator. He supposed it was to be expected, students and teachers could never really see on the same level as one another, and they were choosing to stay silent rather than get in any more trouble.**

**"You can go now." He instead offered, knowing that was what they really wanted. Blake nodded once and adopted a fast-paced march to the door, while Yang sashayed after her. Jaune moved aside to let them exit.**

**"Oh! So that's where the exit is." Yang gasped as she walked by him, catching him off guard as she leaned in suggestively to place a hand on his cheek. Despite himself, Jaune felt the blood creeping into his cheeks as the blonde grinned. "Thanks for the directions. See ya Friday Prof."**

_**She's going to be the death of me.**_

Seven sets of eyes zeroed in on Yang who laughed nervously. "Woopsie, I must have slipped." When the looks didn't go away Yang shank in on herself just a tiny bit.

**"Yang!" Blake hissed angrily, as the two made their way down the corridors from the Professor's rooms. "Did you just **_**have**_** to get the last word in?" Yang spared a glance for her partner, noticing the deadly glare in her amber eyes. Instead of feeling nervous, it just made her grin.**

**"Nobody one-up's Yang Xiao-Long. It's a lesson you'll learn someday, Blakey." She quipped, one hand reaching into her pockets as Blake threw her arms in the air in frustration. **_**Poor Blake**_** she mused to herself. The girl was so bookish that Yang honestly wondered if she had ever been in trouble with teachers before.**

**"I hope it was worth it, we literally dodged a bullet there! We could have been expelled, or arrested!" She ranted, causing Yang to roll her eyes, though she didn't disagree with that statement. Yeah, they could have been in serious trouble, she hadn't honestly expected the Professor to retire to his room so early in the day. It was only like half-past nine. Where was his nightlife!?**

"Spent toiling away trying to get up to speed on everything so that he can keep the charade of being a teacher up," Jaune muttered despondently as he hung his head in depression.

"Put that way I can understand it," Yang muttered watching as Pyrrha tried to get Jaune to calm down.

"Honestly if those two don't get married within a year after Graduation I'd be amazed," Blake muttered softly to her teammates.

"I don't think their relationship goes anywhere unless Pyrrha makes the first move." Weiss offered her own opinion.

"I think we might have to do something to get either of them to even think of making a move," Yang stated confidently.

"Like what?" Ruby asked always willing to help friends find happiness.

"What you talking about?" Nora asked inserting herself into their whispered conversation.

"We'll explain later," Ruby assured her sending a pointed look in the direction of the J and P of JNPR.

"Oh, okay!" Nora nodded happily understanding the hint Ruby gave her.

**"But we haven't been arrested. It's **_**fine**_** Blake. Besides, Jaune's cool, he won't rat us out." He was only a couple of years older than themselves after all. Sure, they'd gotten detention out of it, but at least he'd offered to not bring up what they'd actually done. No matter how young he was, she didn't want people to hear that she had snuck into his bedroom. That was how the worst rumors got started.**

**"Is that what this is? Your whole seeing how far you can push him, thing!? Can you not test his boundaries when I'm involved?"**

**"What was that?" Yang questioned dramatically, leaning towards Blake with an overly raised eyebrow. "Was that Blake complaining about us getting in trouble trying to cover up **_**her**_** mess!?"**

"Ah, I see what happened." Weiss nodded her head as everything started to fall into place.

"I do too," Blake added in glumly.

**Blake instantly went red, as Yang grinned in triumph. Sure, it hadn't taken much to convince her to take part in Blake's frankly hair-brained scheme. Sneaking into his office and finding the book hadn't honestly sounded too tough. It was just like sneaking your late homework into a teacher's office. She just hadn't expected his office to be attached to his bedroom.**

**Then again, they hadn't come out of this completely empty-handed.**

**"Yang, what the actual **_**fuck!?**_**" Blake hissed as Yang brought out the lacy underwear and started spinning it on one finger, enjoying the pattern of colors that span in the air. "Please explain to me why you took **_**that**_**."**

Everyone in the room just turned red, even Yang. "Oh, my gods…" Yang mumbled into her hands.

"You're now a bonafide panty thief Yang, how does it feel?" Nora asked in as serious a voice that she could muster.

"Like I want to crawl into a hole and disappear." The brawler moaned as Ruby just praised whatever deity out there that Glynda was not in the room at the moment.

**"Eh." Yang shrugged. "Black-mail? Amusement? Because it was in my hand and I couldn't exactly give it back to him? You pick." Truthfully it had been the latter. After he had basically offered to let them go without any serious punishment, she couldn't exactly walk up to him and hand him his frilly girl's underwear back, could she?**

**"Well, could you stop playing with it? I can't understand how you're so calm about all of this."**

**Again, poor Blake. Yang supposed if you never really got into trouble as much as she had, that you would look at detentions and reprimands like they were actually a serious problem. It was only a couple of hours of their time on Friday, they'd have the weekend free regardless.**

"Cause that's all that's going to happen once this is discovered," Pyrrha noted with a disappointed sigh.

"I am curious about how this all plays out," Ren admitted.

**"Where's your sense of adventure Blake? Being so close, getting caught. The fear, the panic. The **_**excitement.**_**" Yang's eyes flashed red for a moment before she controlled herself.**

**"Oh, God…" Blake sighed. "I think we have different ideas of what counts as an adrenaline rush."**

**"You'll risk your life-fighting Grimm, but panic at being caught by a teacher? That's pretty cute." Blake didn't respond, instead sparing her a withering glare as Yang grinned. Maybe it was herself who was the messed up one, she didn't really know. But after the adrenaline of the initiation and Emerald forest, going to classes had been a real anti-climax. It had been that boredom that had convinced her to tag along with Blake in the first place, and now that the immediate risk of being in **_**serious**_** trouble was gone, she could approve of the rush the fear had given her.**

"You're an adrenalin junkie…" Ren sighed. "I'm not surprised. Nora just laughed as Yang smirked and flexed her arm.

**Professor Arc had got her heart beating alright. Though maybe not in the same way he had Ruby's.**

**"So who do you think it belongs to?" Blake finally asked, her curiosity overcoming her irritation. Yang's smile widened at the interest, even as she performed a quick upwards toss and catch of the incriminating article.**

**"That's the million lien question, isn't it? Has the Professor got a girl he's sneaking into Beacon for some alone time? Or is it a gift from an amorous student? Or is he **_**sleeping**_** with a student!? Or even better… is it **_**his!**_**" Her brain whirled at the myriad possibilities. So much to consider, so much she didn't know. It was painful.**

"You know what curiosity did to the cat Blake." Weiss pointed out idly.

"One that's racist." Blake began without much heat. "Two, that's only the first part of that saying." She continued shooting the heiress a look. "And three you really need to start closing your tabs when you're done with your private business."

Weiss instantly turned red in the face "Whatever do you mean?" she tried to pass it off as a figment of Blake's imagination.

"That I'm not the only one with interesting tastes."

"At least she admits that her tastes are weird," Yang whispered to her sister.

"You mean like yours?" Ruby asked innocently causing the white and black themed girls to perk up as their attention shifted onto the blonde.

Team JNPR just laughed as Yang was grilled and teased by Weiss and Blake, the two happy to be on the giving end for once.

**"I'd have thought you'd be more worried if he was a player, considering your sister is into him."**

**"Eh, he hurts Ruby, he dies. No need to complicate things." Yang quipped. Internally though she wasn't too worried. Sometimes it was difficult to get a good read on him. On the first night, he'd taken her flirtations like a veteran, completely unruffled by her and even putting **_**her**_** on the back foot. Even when she'd collided with him and ended up sitting on his crotch he hadn't even raised an eyebrow.**

**But back there, maybe it had been the dark… but she'd seen a reaction. A chink in the armor! Like a wolf smelling blood, it almost made her mouth water. If he wasn't impossible, then that meant it was possible… which made him a challenge. Challenges were good, challenges were exciting. Whether it was beating the best in combat class, smacking down a Nevermore, or getting a guy to melt into a pile of goo.**

_**Heh, I'm coming for you, Prof.**_

"Oh god," Jaune groaned as Yang grinned widely.

"I wonder if I can make you imitate those Mistralian cartoons where the guy gets knocked back by a massive nosebleed." Yang pondered aloud getting Jaune to back away from her.

Pyrrha frowned and shot Yang a look. "Yang." She spoke warningly. Yang just laughed it off.

**"You realize you can't spread any knowledge of this around, right?" Blake interrupted, cutting into Yang's happy place. "If you so much as mention where you found that, we'll be in bigger trouble again."**

**"Hmm." Yang hummed in agreement, nodding to show she had realized that. As gossip material or blackmail the lacy garment was useless to her. Maybe that was why he had given them the lesser punishment, as a subtle request that they do not rat out his dirty little secret. **_**Whatever that secret is… God, I hope he cross-dresses, that would be hilarious.**_** "I'll get rid of it once we get back, can't just leave it in the hallway. I think the bigger question is; what are we going to do about your book? We've lost our best chance."**

There was muffled laughter from Fox causing the two teams to look at him curiously. "It's nothing, just remembering something funny." He assured them as he went back to reading his papers.

**"What are you talking about?" Blake drawled, stepping in front of Yang and crossing her arms with a tiny smirk on her lips. "We've got two hours this Friday in his office to find it."**

**"Why Blake, I do believe you're right." Yang laughed, before leaning forward to place a teasing finger on Blake's neck. "If you keep taking advantage of the rules like this Blakey, I might have to **_**punish**_** you myself." Yang's grin widened as she trailed her finger down to the collarbone in an effort to see when her partner would panic and bolt. Blake stared back challengingly, her taunting gaze saying she wouldn't dare.**

**"My word!" A female voice gasped angrily from nearby, causing the two teens to jump apart in shock.**

"Oh boy…" Blake groaned recognizing the voice immediately.

"Welp… nice knowing you two." Ruby saluted, Weiss quickly following suit causing Nora to burst out laughing before joining in.

**"Miss G… I mean Goodwitch!" Yang stumbled, eyes going wide even as the underwear she had kept spinning on one finger slapped into her own face. One lilac eye peeped open, looking through the leg hole at the woman. Yep, definitely angry… though was that an embarrassed blush on the woman's face?**

**And why did Yang feel so worried?**

"I wonder what the worst thing Professor Goodwitch has had to deal with is." Ren pondered tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"I hope nothing as brazen as sex in the hallways," Pyrrha muttered disapprovingly. Blake and Yang both blushed at the jab.

**Jaune's eyes cracked open as his scroll relentlessly informed him that it was the morning. One arm snaked out from beneath the blankets, blindly patting around on the side table, knocking both his wallet and lamp to the floor in his quest for the fuck off button. Eventually, the battle of the blind was won, fingers flopping over the touchscreen in what was apparently enough to convince the piece of technology that he was up.**

**The temptation to go back to sleep was strong. But he knew it was not possible. He had Oobleck's class in just over two hours, and he couldn't afford to be late to that. It still took a few minutes for him to climb out of the bed and collect some clothes however, as he stumbled towards the bathroom and pushed his way inside. Coldwater was what he needed to wake up properly, slapping a few handfuls into his face as he let the steamy bathroom air warm him.**

**Wait…**

**Steamy?**

"I guess we're going full Mistalian cartoon now?" Nora mused recognizing the scene type for what it was.

"Oh, gods above I hope not," Pyrrha muttered worriedly. "Those always turn so… weird."

"Do I even want to know?" Jaune asked his partner with a quirked brow.

"Probably not." The champion admitted

**Mismatched eyes met his own as he turned around, the two of them blinking before blue eyes dipped a little lower. **_**Damn bubbles.**_** His brain cursed as Neo's pale shoulders lowered into thick white bubbles, with only the tips of her knees visible in the bath.**

**It still took another forty or so seconds for his brain to catch up with his libido, during which his eyes unashamedly roved over any skin he could make out.**

**"Shit!" He finally shouted, brain adding two and two together, and after a brief exclamation of **_**"boobs!"**_** getting four. "I'm sorry!" He slammed the door behind him as he fled the room, leaning back onto it and letting out short, panting breaths. Holy crap, he'd just walked in on a girl having a bath. That was like… well, nowhere on the base system, but still!**

Both teams burst out laughing as the Jaune in the book had comical wide eyes as a full-body blush took over.

**To his credit, it only took another three nano-seconds for his brain to kick in and point out that it was **_**his**_** bathroom, and Neo **_**wasn't**_** supposed to be in there. Taking a deep breath he roughly pushed the door open and stepped inside, intent on letting her know just what her boundaries were.**

**Just in time to receive a thick wad of soapy bubbles to the face.**

**"Argh! My eyes!" Jaune gritted as he fell backward in shock, the door closing suddenly on his blind form and knocking him flat on his ass. Angrily he scrubbed at his eyes, hoping to ward off the burning as he climbed to his feet and tried to get back to the sink. The door didn't budge. "Neo, open the damn door, I need to wash this out of my eyes!"**

"Stuff like this is definitely going to become normal," Ruby muttered with another giggle.

"Oh, no doubt." Weiss agreed with a small smile.

**"Morning lad." Peter greeted as Jaune slumped down in the staff room seat next to him. "You look a little bushed, late night?"**

**"No hot water had to have a cold shower." He mumbled back, letting out a defeated sigh. It was just his typical luck that Neo had used all the hot water, leaving him to take a miserably cold shower before getting ready for his day. Of course, the hellion had been completely unrepentant and had vanished before he could get any explanation out of her.**

**"A sad day when a man cannot have his morning shower." Peter commiserated with a slow nod. "Speaking of sad days…" He trailed off, nodding towards the other occupants of the room.**

"I hope the two of us are still alive," Yang mumbled seeing the in-book Glynda ranting at Ozpin.

**Glynda and Ozpin, the latter looking increasingly haggard as the blonde Deputy apparently ranted at him. Jaune wasn't able to make out the specifics, only able to hear the fact that Glynda sounded angry, and Ozpin was remaining silent.**

**Considering the mug of coffee in his grip, Jaune wondered if the man was even cognizant of the world around him. Perhaps he had retreated into a coffee haze to escape the world. Jaune wished he could join him.**

"Seriously what's in that coffee?" Jaune asked looking a little curious.

**"Any idea what that's about?" He instead asked of his companion. It was hardly unusual to see Glynda telling the Headmaster off, in fact, it was an almost daily occurrence in the staffroom for one reason or another. There had been the one time where Ozpin had gotten bored and wandered off half-way through a speech. Then that time where he had done the budgeting from the school and assigned 30% of their budget to the kitchens. Apparently, that had been less of a problem than the fact that only 10% of it was for food, the remaining 20% was for coffee supplies.**

**This time though Glynda looked particularly flushed, her cheeks a deep red as she spoke. In fact, he would almost go as far as to say she looked embarrassed, which threw the `Ozpin being crazy again` theory out the window.**

**"It's just not appropriate!" The blonde woman finally shouted out, apparently having had enough and storming away from the Headmaster, who simply shook his head in silent amusement, before making his way slowly over to them.**

"Is he really that bad?" Pyrrha wondered worriedly.

"There's no way, right?" Weiss denied.

"Honestly I can't even tell anymore," Blake admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

**"Morning sir…" Jaune greeted. "Glynda seemed a little… well…"**

**"Flustered, Mr. Arc?" The older man gracefully offered, a ghost of a smile coming across his lips for a moment. "Worry not, she simply came across something she would rather not have. Tell me, Mr. Arc, have you had any visitors yet in your new role?"**

_**Something she would rather hot have?**_** Jaune wondered to himself briefly. Considering that the Headmaster didn't look too worried, it probably wasn't anything serious, but he still couldn't help feeling a little curious.**

"Yeah, two girls teasing each other in the hallway while one of them had a pair of panties in their hand." Nora laughed loudly causing Blake and Yang to blush at the reminder.

**"I have." He admitted to the question. "Apparently I helped her, though I'm not sure how." He didn't really want to mention Pyrrha's name, unsure if he was supposed to keep it confidential or not. If the Headmaster noticed, he didn't seem to mind, simply nodding with that typical enigmatic smile of his.**

**"Sometimes it's the smallest things that can help Mr. Arc. The difficulty we have is understanding the teenage mind. For all that we were teenagers ourselves once…"**

**"That's true!" Peter guffawed loudly. "Why I remember when I was a lad and a girl turned me down, it felt like the **_**worst**_** moment in my life! Looking back, it's hard to believe how dramatic I was!"**

"I wonder how we'll look at ourselves down the line," Ruby muttered as she glanced up at the ceiling.

"I'm sure we'll look back someday and grimace at the things we've done, we'll laugh at others, and smile fondly on yet more." Yang opined with a sense of wisdom in her words.

_**Because you're totally not dramatic now.**_** Jaune thought to himself sarcastically, but he could see the point he was making. **_**I suppose that's why Ozpin wanted me in this role since my age is so similar.**_

**A distant ringing of a bell signaled the end of their conversation. Ozpin leaving them with a nod, even as Peter let out a long sigh and climbed from his chair. Jaune could sympathize with it, but it was Thursday - the week was almost done.**

"You really do grow to hate that bell after a while," Ren noted with a trace amount of distaste in his tone.

"I'm sure we'll miss it once things get a little more complicated than get up and go to class." Pyrrha pointed out.

**Oobleck was already in the class as Jaune arrived, hurriedly scratching a number of things onto a board at a speed that would have turned a computer green with envy. A few students were beginning to filter into the room as Jaune took his customary position to the side of Oobleck's desk. His role in these classes could end up being pretty nebulous. When the lessons were mostly theory then he would wander around, answering any questions about the topics the students might have. Sometimes though the classes turned a little more practical, with Oobleck getting them all involved in a discussion. In those cases, unless he was addressed specifically he usually just stood around looking stupid.**

**Honestly. It hardly felt like any of the teachers needed support.**

"They really don't," Jaune muttered recalling how much all of the teachers managed to do in the day.

**"Today class!" The green-haired man finally spoke, the exact moment that the final student had sat down. "We shall continue our discussion on recent history that has shaped prejudice, with a lesson on the recent change in the approach of the faunus rights activists, commonly known as the **_**White Fang**_**."**

**There were muted mumbles at those words. A large majority of people looking angry or disgusted, though Jaune noticed more than a few looking scared. Human and faunus alike.**

Blake looked down at the reminder. Silently Yang pulled the girl into a one-armed hug. Though no one said anything it felt like everything that needed to be said got through.

**Honestly, he considered, as Oobleck began his lecture. The White Fang had been pretty much unknown from where he had come from. Presumably too few residents in his home village to generate any interest from the extremist group. Of course, there had been faunus there, and he supposed there had been those who discriminated against them too. But he'd go so far as to say the majority of people didn't really care.**

**But then, that was the same as it was here at Beacon, wasn't it? Unbidden, his eyes trailed over to the bunny-eared member of team RVNN, Velvet Scarlatina. She hadn't made any move to approach him for counseling, and honestly, he was beginning to think she wouldn't. What was that old saying, about abused people never realizing anything was wrong?**

"Seriously, you've never heard of the White Fang before coming to Beacon?" Weiss asked Jaune who shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"I didn't even know discrimination was a thing until I got to Vale." He admitted.

**Beyond that though, the whole thing about most people being indifferent was probably what the problem was. When Cardin was bullying her, Jaune thought he could see plenty of people looking on in distaste. At **_**Cardin.**_** But they didn't act. Could he really blame them? Even when the rules of Beacon itself pretty much prohibited them from fighting in the cafeteria, if you saw a dangerous person on the street attack, someone. The first thought of a passer-by wasn't going to be jumping into the fray.**

**It was bystander behavior. Something he'd read about in one of the psychology books. The mistaken assumption that somebody else would do something, so you didn't have to. Also mixed with a little bit of conformism, maybe? When hundreds of other people just watched on, you felt compelled to do the same.**

"Well, at least he's _actually_ reading those books of his," Weiss noted having given up on understanding just how sheltered Jaune was growing up.

**What with the psychology books to read, on top of everything else. It was little wonder his brain was feeling so scrambled lately.**

**"-and that is why recent incursions by the White Fang have begun to take on a more militaristic edge. Of course, the ill-will aimed towards the White Fang has resulted in increased levels of discrimination against innocent faunus."**

**"Makes you wonder why we let faunus even attend schools for combat if they're just going to turn traitor." Cardin butted in, grinning as a few people mumbled in agreement. From the corner of his eye, Jaune noticed the members of teams RWBY and RVNN looking particularly venomous.**

"I really hate him." Blake hissed recalling everything Cardin had done to other Faunus during their short time at Beacon so far.

"He's just a bully, nothing worth wasting time on," Ren noted. "Besides ever since the incident at Forever Fall he hasn't done much at all."

"He's just gotten better at hiding his abuses." Nora pointed out getting a surprised look from Ren. "I followed him once and he tried to pick on another Faunus student out of sight. Luckily Coco was there and she put him in his place, but it's not hard to imagine he still does that."

**"I will ignore that less-than-subtle racism in favor of you raising an interesting point Mr. Winchester." Oobleck continued blithely. "While there were calls for sanctions against faunus in the name of `safety,` the idea was dismissed. Ultimately the Grimm remains a larger threat, and discrimination against faunus actually **_**supports**_** the White Fang – by making their recruitment easier. In fact, it might even be accurate to state that the White Fang benefits from increasing the hatred and racism **_**against**_** their own kind. Though of course, they would never admit to that."**

**"So discrimination causes them to become more numerous?" Cardin asked once more, grinning. Jaune wondered why the man was so interested in the subject.**

"Jeez, it really is easy to hate him," Pyrrha muttered angrily as she regarded the larger teen coldly.

**"In this case, that is correct."**

**Jaune watched as Cardin leaned back in his seat, turning to the side to address a comment towards the other students.**

**"Hey, Yang heard about you and your partner got caught in the halls by Goodwitch!" This prompted a number of bouts of laughter and giggling to sound out across the room, even as Jaune's face took on a worried expression. Had they been seen sneaking out of his rooms!? Oh, Gods, this could be bad, especially if they made the obvious – though completely mistaken – assumption, of why two young teenagers were coming out his bedroom…**

Blake and Yang sank into their seats trying to disappear.

**"You think if I start discriminating against you, you can convert a few other girls?"**

**"I'll convert your face if you don't shut up Cardin!" The blonde screamed angrily as she shot to her feet, eyes, and face both turning red. Beside her, Jaune could see Blake hiding her face behind a textbook. Though judging from her slumped posture, she wasn't feeling any better.**

**"Mr. Winchester!" The teacher finally shouted, apparently tired with the interruption. "I have warned you once about discrimination in my classroom. Miss Xiao-Long's sexual preferences are no concern of yours, or anyone else in this class."**

**Wait.**

**What!?**

"Ah…" Weiss muttered as the students all began laughing. "He could've handled that more tactfully."

"YOU THINK?" Yang screamed. She rounded on Jaune. "Somehow this is all your fault."

"Whoa, hey calm down!" Blake clamped down on Yang's shoulders as Ruby helped her restrain the brawler. "It's a different world Yang, our Jaune has nothing to do with this embarrassment." As Yang still struggled to move her eyes red Blake continued trying to soothe her. "Relax Yang, let it go, he's innocent."

Slowly, but surely, Yang calmed down as the two girls slowly released their hold on her. "Sorry about that." Yang apologized to Jaune who quickly accepted.

**Yang slumped back into her seat with a loud thud, doing her best to ignore the urge to commit a massacre as people continued laughing all around them. **_**Thank you teach, for diffusing that so effectively… you've been added to the list.**_

**Beside her, Blake refused to meet her eyes, or even remove her face from the textbook, despite that the pages must have been less than an inch in front of her eyes. The two had barely spoken to one another after being caught by Miss Goodwitch, the embarrassment too much for either.**

**But what had they been supposed to do, caught in the hallways after curfew, Yang with a pair of frilly underwear in one hand, and her other trailing down towards Blake's breasts? Did they admit to Miss Goodwitch that they had broken into another person's rooms? When she had demanded to know whose underwear that was, Blake had said the most obvious thing.**

_**"Mine."**_

The two teams winced at the series of unfortunate events. "Well…I don't know I got nothing." Ruby shook her head.

**Neither of them had really thought what kind of picture that painted. And of course, Glynda's loud telling-off, in the middle of the hallway - had been heard by plenty of students. Students, who had been only too happy to fuel the rumor mill.**

**"I can't believe I'm stuck on a team with a pair of perverts like you!" Weiss hissed from nearby, causing Ruby to blush, even as Blake's head sank lower into her book.**

**Yang Xiao-Long and Blake Belladonna, hardcore lesbians who had snuck out into the hallways to have sex where their teammates wouldn't see them.**

_**Somehow, this is all your fault Arc! And I will have vengeance.**_

"I'm a little worried about that." Jaune pointed out with a loud gulp of nervousness.

"Hopefully it's only something like a prank or something similar." Pyrrha opined restlessly.

"Hey, it's still going." Weiss pointed out as the book continued to produce imagery.

**Omake: **

"What's an Omake?" Nora asked looking around in surprise.

"It's kind of like a side story, or an alternate take on events within the story." Fox began as he looked around the room. "Usually these side stories have no bearing on the actual events, but sometimes they're used to explain something that happened in the background."

"I get it now." Ruby nodded her head happily.

**"Cardin Winchester?" Jaune mumbled in surprise, eyes widening at the uncomfortable looking student who was standing in front of the door to his office. The bully in question looked around nervously, as though making sure no one could see him.**

**"Hey, teach... I... I have a problem. I could use some help..."**

**Well, Jaune thought to himself, as Cardin began to explain his situation while laying down on a couch. He couldn't say he had expected Cardin Winchester himself to be his first customer, especially after he made such obvious overtures towards the victim of his bullying. He supposed that was why no plan would make it past contact with the enemy.**

"I wonder how this goes?" Blake mused in surprise seeing Cardin of all people going to counseling.

**"So what you're saying is... you don't hate faunus?" Jaune asked, trying to be certain of what he'd just been told. The boy gripped his hands into fists.**

**"I don't!" He gritted back. "Honest... I, well my dad does. He fought in the wars and lost so much, I can understand why he hates them. But well... they've not done anything bad to **_**me,**_** you know?"**

Everyone widened their eyes at the statement. "No way, is he saying what I think he's saying?" Nora asked.

"I don't know Nora, we'll just have to wait and see." Ren supplied placing a hand on her shoulder.

**"That makes perfect sense to me Mr. Winchester." Jaune nodded, writing some quick things down on a notepad. "It's normal to hate those who have hurt us, I wouldn't even begrudge your father if he'd really faced bad stuff because of them. But if I can ask, why is it that you've been so anti-faunus since coming here?"**

**"That's my problem!" Cardin exclaimed, sitting up and holding his hands out in front of himself, looking down into them with shame. "I always wanted to make him happy... he would tell me to be cruel to them. And I did because he would praise me. But I always knew I wasn't being serious, that I didn't hate them. I thought to myself that I would just do it until Beacon, and I could make a fresh start here."**

"That sounds like a psychological issue," Pyrrha muttered curiously.

"You mean like mental conditioning?" Jaune questioned worried that somehow Cardin had been programmed to be a bully.

**"But it didn't work out?" Jaune finished, feeling a flash of uncharacteristic pity for the man. Who would have expected him to be such a good guy?**

**"Yeah... as soon as I saw that faunus, Velvet. I just couldn't stop myself, and I **_**hated**_** myself for it. So Prof. Can you help me?"**

**"I can Mr. Winchester," Jaune promised, rummaging around for the book he needed. Damn it, Behavioural Psychology, no... Psychosis, no... Ninjas of Love... definitely later... ah! Here it was! "What you suffer from Mr. Winchester, is a Pavlovian reaction!"**

"So it is in his office…" Blake muttered with narrowed eyes.

Her teammates rolled their own as they considered how to handle book-obsessed Blake.

**"Is it fatal?" The boy asked, suddenly worried.**

**"It can be. Basically, a Pavlovian reaction is an automatic reaction that is ingrained or programmed into you, following an external stimulus. The old example is that if you ring a bell, and then give a dog food when you do. Eventually, the dog will start to assume the bell means food and will begin to drool when a bell is rung. Even if there is no food." Jaune read aloud. "I believe that you have been rewarded for mistreatment of faunus for so long, that your father basically programmed you to be cruel to them."**

"I see…" Weiss hummed as she glanced at Ruby.

"You're not programming my sister," Yang warned her with a growl.

"Whatever do you mean Yang?" Weiss asked innocently. "All I'm doing is offering her some cookies whenever she gets an A on her exams."

"REALLY?" Ruby asked with stars in her eyes.

"Yes, I'll have them delivered from the Warm Belly Bakery in Vale."

"Those are said to be the best cookies in town!" Ruby gasped "Mom developed her recipe trying to recreate theirs!"

"Alright you win, if you're actually getting her cookies from this place I'll let it go." Yang folded her arms and smiled warmly as Ruby started recalling the various subjects she needed to study up on.

**"Damn it! I can't let this continue though Professor! I'll do anything, what's the cure."**

**"Hmm." Jaune wondered, reading through the book. Honestly, it just said what Pavlov was, and what studies he had done... the man never seemed particularly bothered in **_**curing**_** what he had trained dogs to do... well, logically... "Well, what we can do is apply a negative stimulus every time you mistreat faunus, and then you'll begin to associate racist behavior as undesirable."**

**"Well, that makes sense... I'll do it, Professor Arc... can you help me with the negative stimulus?" Cardin looked so uncertain that Jaune could only reach out and place a hand on his shoulder in support.**

**"I will Mr. Winchester. And for what it's worth, I think you're a good man."**

"This is going to be hilarious." Nora sang as she waited intently for the joke she knew was coming.

**Velvet rose from her seat as she finished her meal, looking to take the tray back for disposal. She was going to meet up with Coco later to talk about their week and was looking forward to it. It was still pretty humiliating to go through classes she had covered again... but she would survive.**

**"Hey Velvet!" A male voice called out, making her ears twitch even as a sigh escaped her lips. Not him... not now, not when she was in such a good mood.**

**True to form however, Cardin Winchester approached once more. This time lacking his usual posse, though the vindictive expression on his face was as present as ever.**

"I imagine it would take a decent amount of time before he can break his bad habits." Ren guessed.

_**Ignore me, ignore me, please ignore me!**_** She prayed to herself like a mantra as she tried to push past him, only to have his beefy arm stop her, forcing her back.**

**"H-hi." She forced out, stomach already dropping at what she knew would come.**

**"Where you going freak?" He taunted, reaching out for one of her ears. Velvet's eyes watched his hand coming in, wincing in preparation for pain.**

"Defend yourself Velvet, come on!" Blake hissed worried despite logically knowing everything would be fine.

**"PAVLOVVVV!" A masculine voice screamed out, the battle-cry startling and confusing people in equal measure. Velvet's eyes widened as she saw the figure leaping towards Cardin from behind, traveling at least four feet above the floor, arms held back ready to strike.**

**To her credit, she tried to warn the bully. Politeness, as well as a general concern for anyone's health, had her mouth open, but the shock prevented the words from coming out.**

**"Get Pavolv'd!" The Professor finished, as a folded chair smashed into Cardin's head from behind, causing the student to slump to the floor in a dead faint. Velvet could only look on in horror, as the blonde teacher inspected the folded seat, looking at the now obvious dent in the middle of it.**

_**Is Cardin... dead?**_

Yang was the first to burst out laughing as she pointed at the book unable to form words as she laughed hard enough to cry. The others quickly followed suit as the shock wore off.

**"Hello Miss Scarlatina, how are you?" The unrepentant possible murderer politely enquired. Velvet didn't respond, one hand pointed at him in mute horror, before it fell down to point out the student unconscious, hopefully, on the floor. "Don't worry about Mr. Winchester, we're going through some treatment at the moment. That reminds me, if you ever need any help, as Student Counsellor I'd be happy to help you. You should drop by."**

**Velvet shook her head, ears flapping about wildly. No way! Not a chance in hell. Not if **_**that**_** was the treatment this man prescribed!**

**"Well, my door's always open." Professor Jaune offered, kneeling down and grabbing hold of one of Cardin's feet, dragging his limp form away. "Come along Cardin."**

_**I... I think I need Yatsuhashi right now...**_

By the end of it all, both teams were rolling on the floor laughing their hearts out. "That was great," Nora muttered wiping her eyes. "Please tell me there's more like that.

"I believe there is." Fox smiled in amusement.

"That's great!"

"…" a new face poked her head into the room. Seeing Fox looking at her she held up her invitation.

"Ah, miss Neo would you like to join us?" he inquired catching everyone's attention.

"That's the girl from the book," Weiss muttered softly as she reached for a vial of Dust on her belt.

"There's no need for that." Fox chided her as he stood up. "Come in, come in. This room is a neutral zone, I will not tolerate any true violence within it." Urging Neo inside he looked around. "Why don't you all take a small break and enjoy yourselves while I get Neo here up to speed on what exactly is going on here."

The others shrugged their shoulders and broke off to do their own things as Fox brought Neo over to a chair and urged her to sit. "There is much to tell you miss Neo." He began with a smile on his face.

* * *

(To be continued)

Next chapter Aug, 19


	9. Reading chapter 9

Next chapter of RWBY reads Professor Arc.

* * *

(BREAK)

Neo stretched her arms above her head as everyone settled in to begin reading. "Does she need to catch up at all?" Yang asked sending a thumb her way. Frowning Neo stuck her tongue out at the blonde who scowled at the behavior.

"Don't worry about her," Fox assured them. "Neo's smart enough to piece things together." He smiled as he clapped his hands. "Besides sometimes things are funnier when you have no clue what's going on."

Neo grinned before holding up a sign that read, "Sounds good to me."

"How does that sign even work?" Ruby whispered to Weiss who shrugged her shoulders.

**But tomorrow's Saturday!" Ruby protested as Yang began to pull on her combat boots. Damn, but it felt good getting out of that stuffy uniform, even if school wasn't officially over for the week yet. Their final class on a Friday was combat with Miss Goodwitch, so they all had an hour-long free period before it to allow them to prepare. Yang liked to use her time to lounge. It was an art form she had perfected over many years. Blake liked to use it to read… unfortunately, her sister and Weiss liked to use it to argue.**

**Every. Damn. Time.**

Yang shot Weiss and Ruby a deadpan look causing the two to cough awkwardly. Blake smirked, "Sounds normal to me." She muttered causing the two to blush faintly.

**"Tomorrow is also the day that delegates from the other kingdoms arrive for the Vytal Festival." The heiress informed them for what must have been the tenth time this day. "It's a perfect opportunity to meet people who might be taking part in the competition, as well as make contacts with powerful individuals."**

**"Could you have made that sound any more dull Ice-Queen?" Yang groaned from her bed. Honestly, a city-wide festival was supposed to be a fun affair, how was she able to make it sound so boring?**

**"Dull or not, it's an opportunity that does not come around often! We cannot afford to miss it." Hands-on hips, the heiress stalked about the room as she spoke. She was already prepared for combat class, though both she and Ruby apparently needed to collect some dust from their lockers sometime within the next thirty minutes.**

The R, B, and Y of Team RWBY groaned at the reminder as Weiss huffed. "Just because you three can't appreciate the opportunities that the Vytal Festival gives us."

"We'd appreciate it more if you didn't bring it up every time someone mentions it." Ruby groaned as team JNPR and Neo snickered amongst themselves.

"I always liked the action and the festival aspects of the Vytal Festival." Yang pointed out with a lazy drawl. "I couldn't care less about these supposed connections or the dick measuring contest from the kingdoms."

"Yang, language" Blake admonished half-heartedly

**"I guess…" Ruby conceded with a pout, before brightening up once more. "Well, we can go see a movie tonight can't we?"**

**"Detention," Blake reported from behind one of her books. Yang waved an arm lazily in agreement, even as her younger sister seemed to deflate.**

**"Ah of course." Weiss taunted with a smug grin. "Facing punishment for your little romp out in the hallways."**

Neo hunched over in her seat as her shoulders shook from the laughter she tried to hold in. Yang and Blake groaned as their cheeks colored.

"I wonder how long they're going to use this gag." Jaune hummed as he tapped his chin.

"Until they get a new one, probably." Pyrrha shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

**"I've told you it wasn't like that," Yang argued half-heartedly. She and Blake had told the story a number of times, though neither had been able to fully explain it since they had agreed to keep the fact that they had broken into a teacher's room secret. As such Weiss, and to Yang's horror **_**Ruby**_**… hadn't fully believed them.**

**"Weiss." The young leader whispered pleadingly. "There's nothing… wrong, I mean if Yang wants to… they're both… adults. Even if they're both girls." Ruby's voice continued to stutter as she continued, apparently unable to fully explain herself, but Yang could read the signs easily enough and sighed to herself.**

Ren smiled softly "Somehow I don't think Weiss actually believes those rumors." He mentioned causing the others to glance at him with questioning eyes. "I think the Weiss in this book is just milking the teasing material for all it's worth."

Weiss smirked. "That does sound like something I would do."

"That's mean Weiss." Ruby pointed out with a small frown.

"Turnabout is fair play, Ruby."

**"Oh, they can do whatever, sorry… **_**whoever**_** they want as far as I'm concerned." Weiss imperiously announced, waving a hand before her face. Before her eyes hardened to chips of ice as she glared at the two of them. "But they had better not be doing it in **_**our**_** room!"**

**"Isn't that what led to the problem in the first place?"**

**"If they can't keep their hormones in check, they should go find a hotel to spend a night at or something Ruby! Not some closet or abandoned classroom. I swear to any Gods out there, if my **_**desk**_** is even the slightest bit damp there will be Hell to pay!"**

At this point, Neo was simply doubled over as she laughed silently at the happenings on screen. "It's not _that_ funny." Yan groused as she folded her arms.

"It is amusing though." Nora pointed out with a wide smile.

**Yang simply raised a finger in response to that comment.**

**"Yang!" Ruby admonished, even as Weiss interrupted her.**

**"Don't get close Ruby, you've no idea where that fingers been."**

**"Fuck you Weiss-cream."**

**"Oh, I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you Xiao-Long?"**

"Well, at least banter in this story isn't too cringe-worthy." Blake allowed as she chuckled a little.

"I get you." Jaune agreed with a nod of his head. "Sometimes authors just can't write good banter."

**"Okay, guys!" Ruby shouted stepping between the two of them before blood could be shed. "Angry time is over, let's all be good teammates now! Yang, you can agree not to do any… of… **_**that**_**… in our room, right?"**

**"Sure, fine. Whatever." Yang surrendered with one arm draped across her eyes. What did she need to do to break this rumor for crying out loud? Even her little sister had been taken in by it… and holy crap if it got back to her dad…**

**"As for Weiss… you will support their… um, relationship, right?"**

**"There is no relationship." Blake inputted, but much like Yang, her arguments went ignored. Apparently, they were both in **_**denial.**_

"Oh, gods no…" Yang whispered in horror as her eyes widened. "If something like that got back to Dad…" she shivered as Ruby whimpered in fear.

**"I will support their relationship, as long as I never have to **_**actively**_** experience or see any evidence of it. That goes for **_**any**_** relationships you perverts have, girls or otherwise."**

**"Well, that sounds fair." Ruby chirped with a bright smile. "Problem solved!" **_**No, it's not Ruby.**_** "Anyway, Weiss and I'll go get our dust and meet you in class. See ya!"**

**Yang popped one eye open as she watched her sister drag the heiress towards the door. The white-haired girl in question allowed it but paused at the frame to address them once more.**

"This is great." Neo's sign read as the petite criminal wiped her eyes.

"You should've seen your first training session with Vomit Boy here." Yang grinned as she thumbed at Jaune. "Roman promised you sugar cones with your ice cream if he ate dirt in ten seconds and you decked him immediately."

Neo clapped her hands together happily as she looked at Jaune questioningly.

"I sincerely doubt Roman would promise you that now." He rolled his eyes at the thought.

**"Xiao-Long, I know **_**exactly**_** how my bed looks. If it looks any different when I get back…" She was unable to complete the threat as Ruby wrapped her arms around the girl's shoulders and dragged her from the room, letting the door slam behind them. Yang sighed.**

**"This is bullsh-"**

**The door slammed open once more, Weiss leaning in. She held her fingers up, shaped like a V and pointed towards her eyes, before flipping them and pointing at Yang, then at her bed. She mouthed the words **_**watching you**_** before Ruby bodily dragged her out again.**

**"…I hate my life."**

"This is honestly a pretty weird take on our lives though," Pyrrha admitted with a hesitant smile.

"It's an amalgamation of different choices and conclusions based on misinformation." Ren pointed out simply. "It's weird because not only do you understand how these characters came to their conclusions based on what they think they know, but you also know what the actual truth is."

**"I hate my life." Jaune Arc whispered to himself as he approached his doom. Friday afternoon and it was what he'd been trying to think up a solution to for the last few days… Today he was to showcase his skills, or whatever Glynda had planned for the class, she had never really made it clear to him. He'd considered trying to fake off being sick, but that would just prompt them to send him to a doctor.**

**Throwing a sickie to get out of class was pretty much traditional, but somehow he doubted they would look on it so favorably when he was a paid employee.**

**Instead, he had taken more lessons from Neo, asking her to push him harder and harder. She had been only too happy to oblige, little sociopathic minx that she was, and he had found himself asleep before he hit the mattress most nights.**

Neo clapped happily seeing that this other version of her still had it. "You're also slowly making yourself comfortable in his room," Weiss added in getting the girl to look at Jaune curiously.

"So far it seems you just like teasing him." Ruby guessed at Neo's line of thought.

**He didn't know where he stood in terms of strength right now, Neo obviously couldn't explain it to him, and if she could write… which he assumed she was able to. Then she wasn't advertising the fact, preferring to stick to facial expressions and hand-signs that he **_**knew**_** weren't sign language. There was no way however that he could be at the level of a true hunter though, and he didn't even think he was at the level of a student either. They had received four years of training to his… what, one week?**

**This was going to be a disaster – he could only hope the student killed him while they were at it.**

"I think he's underestimating himself." Ren supplied simply.

"I agree, I believe Neo's attacks are far more fluid than most students," Pyrrha added in helpfully as she smiled. "I would love a chance to face her one on one." Her teammates chuckled lightly, already used to Pyrrha's competitive nature.

Neo grinned ferociously as she stared down the champion who didn't so much as flinch.

**"Jaune." Glynda nodded a distracted greeting to him as he entered the training halls. Already there were some students beginning to filter through and take seats. From what he could see there was a raised platform in the middle where fights would take place, while the students could watch from the seats on one side.**

_**That's where I'm going to be executed.**_

Yang playfully punched Jaune's arm "You drama queen." She teased as he nervously rubbed his arm with a weak chuckle.

"Who do you think he'll face?" Nora asked excitedly

"Knowing his luck, Cardin," Blake answered with a small smile. Neo looked on questioningly prompting Blake to expand her answer. "Big bully type." Neo made a face to signify her understanding as she smiled maliciously.

**"Evening Glynda." He offered a nervous smile. "I suppose this will be my first time with you."**

**Glynda glanced up from her scroll, the eyes behind her glasses blinking quickly before she coughed and glanced away for a moment. Hardly a second later those piercing green orbs were focused back on him.**

**"Our first time **_**working**_** together, yes. I have never required the services of an assistant in the class before, it is relatively simple to have two students fight and offer my critique."**

Weiss huffed a bit at the crude humor. "I suppose such humor every now and then is acceptable."

Ruby made to ask what she meant but Yang quickly covered her mouth. "I'll explain when we're back in our room Ruby." She promised, wanting to continue the story.

**"So why change things?" He had to ask. If this was to be a class that was judging and improving their fighting styles, then what was the point of having them fight against someone who was far above them in terms of skill – and he was well aware of the irony in that statement.**

**"Several students are becoming… arrogant in their abilities." The stern woman admitted with a hard frown. "It's commonplace really, but it's important for them to know that defeating their peers in staged fights does **_**not**_** make them invincible."**

**"And you want **_**me**_** to beat them?"**

"Are we?" Ruby asked her friends.

"Cardin was." Blake supplied helpfully. "Yang can be perceived that way and Pyrrha…is Pyrrha."

Pryhha frowned at that answer. "What does that mean?" she asked suspiciously.

"You haven't even been hit yet, let alone defeated," Blake answered honestly. "It's honestly getting hard to even imagine you losing to any student one on one right now." Neo looked interested as she analyzed Pyrrha a bit more seriously.

**"You're closer to their age." Glynda offered with a gentle shrug of one shoulder. "My semblance can be difficult to work around and is quite overwhelming. It would be easy for them to write off a loss to me as unfair. But you fight like many of the students here do, with your weapon."**

**"That makes sense." Jaune acknowledges, trying his best to keep his voice calm. There was no talking her out of this – he was actually going to have to do it. What was worse, he was going to have to win the fight as well.**

**"I'll do my best." He offered with as much confidence as he was able, as the final students made their way into the room and arranged themselves on the seats. It looked like there would be no more stalling for Jaune Arc.**

"How would you overcome Professor Goodwitch's semblance anyways?" Nora wondered aloud. "She literally just picks people up and tosses them out of the ring. Or, in missions, into something hard enough to knock them out."

No one had an answer for that.

**"Welcome, class." Glynda began, pausing for a moment as every other voice in the room fell silent. The control she had over the students was far superior to any of the others he had worked with, and even Jaune found his eyes and ears locked on the woman. "Today we shall be doing something a little different from usual. Rather than have you fight among yourselves, I thought it might be an exciting opportunity for one of you to face off against a more experienced hunter."**

**Oh, it would be exciting alright…**

"Really need to work on your self-confidence there Vomit Boy." Yang teased

"You try masquerading as a teacher when the reality is that you have zero professional training." He countered, tired of it all.

**"Professor Jaune Arc has graciously offered to stand in for this role." She announced, waving her hand to him as he climbed onto the stage to stand beside her. He didn't actually remember offering, graciously or otherwise, but he didn't dare interrupt her flow to mention that. "Do remember that Mr. Arc has been fighting in the Grimmlands of Vacuo for some time, and will not be an easy opponent."**

**Jaune looked out over a few of those in the crowd at these words, his breathing becoming quicker at seeing looks of outright excitement on many of the faces. Oh Gods, they actually **_**wanted**_** to fight him.**

Neo rolled over onto the floor as she witnessed the Jaune's inner panic.

Ren calmly rolled his eyes at her behavior. "While amusing I do not believe it to be that humorous."

"I don't know…it _is_ funny." Nora giggled

**Over on one side, he could see the ginger-haired girl Nora, massive hammer in place with her mouth set in a wide grin, she was practically bouncing in her seat and he didn't doubt she would volunteer at the first opportunity. He could also see Pyrrha, who was actually sat between Ren and Ruby of all people. The two had hit things off almost immediately upon meeting, the smaller girl happy to have a friend who wasn't quite as snappish as Miss Schnee, while Pyrrha was glad to have another person who didn't ignore her or put her on a pedestal.**

Jaune edged away from Nora who was likewise, vibrating in place out of anticipation.

**He didn't want to fight either of those people, but please, if there was a God. Not Pyrrha-freaking-Nikos, who he had learned was an internationally renowned fighter.**

**"I'll fight him!" A female voice cried out, drawing all eyes to the buxom blonde who was already strapping her weapons onto her fists. **_**Oh, Hells no! Give me Pyrrha, Give me Pyrrha!**_** Here lays Jaune Arc, casually murdered by a student he gave detention to the night before.**

Everyone laughed at the reaction even as Jaune blushed and looked down at his feet. "That's honestly the appropriate response." Ruby managed to say after catching her breath.

"I can see it." Blake agreed while rubbing her eyes.

**"Sit down Miss Xiao-Long, I have already selected an opponent for Mr. Arc." Glynda admonished, and for an infantile moment, Jaune felt the desire to stick his tongue out at the now dejected teenager. "Mr. Winchester, if you will come up here?"**

**Winchester? Wasn't that the boy he'd seen bullying Velvet? A quick glance over to the girl showed a small barely-noticeable grin on her features, no doubt she was hoping to see the bully brought back down to Earth.**

**Well someone was rooting for him, right!?**

"Called it," Blake announced holding her hand out towards Yang.

Without looking Yang slapped the hand "He has to win this right?" she asked wondering how Jaune would approach the fight.

"Considering he never figured out how to attack yet…" Weiss trailed off as the fight began.

**True to Roman's words when they had met, Neo hadn't really taught him anything relating to actually attacking people – honestly she hadn't taught him how to dodge either. She had just beaten him until he had figured it out himself. Poorly executed dodges would lead to further pain, so he'd been motivated to learn. But what was he meant to do now?**

**The fight was to continue until their aura reserves entered the red, wasn't it? So that meant he **_**had**_** to attack… He couldn't win otherwise. Perhaps he could look to force a ring-out or something, but the guy was a lot bigger than he was, and if that huge mace was for more than just show then he was probably stronger too.**

_**Damn it all, I'll just have to give it my all and try for some lucky hits.**_** He thought to himself, as he nodded along with his thoughts.**

"Can we have some popcorn?" Nora asked Fox who nodded his head and set about preparing some popcorn for everyone.

"Butter?" he asked looking around the room. Excitedly they all nodded their heads. Once the popcorn was done and everyone had their own little batch Fox allowed the story to continue playing.

**"Very well then, begin!" A voice commanded, causing Jaune to freeze.**

_**Wait, what!?**_

**"Arghh!" Jaune screamed as a huge mace rocketed towards his face.**

Neo laughed as the image of a wide-eyed panic-stricken Jaune appeared in her mind.

**Uncharacteristically Weiss only gave the words from Miss Goodwitch half her attention, the other half keeping a vague ear open to the muffled conversation between her partner Ruby, and Pyrrha. She wasn't sure where their new friendship had come from, but she certainly approved of her partner's choice. It would be good for Ruby to take inspiration from someone so clearly dedicated to their craft, and certainly, Pyrrha would be a better role model than Ruby's juvenile sister Yang.**

Yang stuck her tongue out at Weiss who rolled her eyes in response. Pyrrha smiled softly as she glanced at Ruby who happily waved back.

**On that thought, Weiss couldn't stop the wicked grin that stole across her lips. Oh, Weiss knew the blonde barbarian and Blake weren't together. If it wasn't obvious from their embarrassment at the rumors, then Blake's smut books should have been indication enough. Beyond that, however, Yang had already shown she had a strong appreciation for the **_**male**_** form. If her drooling over the guys from that asinine Achieve-men band was anything to go by.**

"I knew it," Ren muttered softly as he smiled.

Weiss smirked as she turned her nose up at Yang "How's it feel to be on the other side of teasing Xiao-Long?" she asked imperiously.

"Meh," Yang responded with a lackluster answer deflating Weiss' fun.

**Either way, it would have just been ridiculous for her to miss out on this prime opportunity to rile up Yang. That was just what she got for all those stupid `Weiss puns` and the loud snoring, not to mention hogging the bathroom for three times as long as everyone else – just to do her hair.**

**Blake? Well, she was just an unfortunate casualty in the war.**

"Gee, thanks," Blake muttered with a blank look.

"I'm sorry Blake." Ruby apologized on behalf of her partner. Blake didn't say anything, instead, she ruffled the leader's hair letting her know it was okay.

**Still though, when Miss Goodwitch had begun to talk about one of them facing off against a teacher she had soon brought her attention back to matters at hand. An opportunity to face off against an elite hunter? Honestly, she could see the appeal – but she did not nominate herself for the fight. Though it would be a learning experience, it was also clearly a weighted fight that they were expected to lose. Weiss Schnee did **_**not**_** lose. Not if she could help it, and certainly not in front of an audience like this.**

The others in the room shot Weiss a look. "What?" she asked seeing them all stare at her.

"Nothing." Nora whistled innocently as she looked away.

**That the opponent would be the new Professor, Jaune Arc, had been a fairly obvious one – why else would he be here when he was absent from every preceding combat class? Cardin being chosen as the combatant to represent their year was both pleasing and annoying. Mainly because he was a braggart at best, and a bully at worst – it would be nice to see him brought down a bit. Disappointing however because he wouldn't be able to give as good a showing as Pyrrha or Yang, who was second-strongest - no matter how little she wanted to admit it.**

**Maybe that was the point of this little exercise though, to pick someone from the middle of the pack.**

"Pretty good deductions Weiss." Jaune complimented

"Yes, I suppose they were." She accepted the praise for what it was as she waited for the fun to start.

**When Cardin had entered the ring Glynda had begun to explain the rules, as she seemed to at the beginning of every bout, before asking if they were both ready. Cardin had drawn and prepared his over-compensatingly large mace, while the Professor had simply nodded, not even drawing his sword.**

**Was he that confident in himself? That he could face any one of them, despite knowing nothing about Cardin, his abilities, or even if he had a semblance that shot lasers from his eyes!? That it didn't matter because they were so far below his level?**

**Was that confidence, or arrogance?**

"What she sees and what is actually going through his mind is completely different." Yang snorted a bit.

"An amalgamation of decisions and conclusions based on misinformation," Ren repeated himself with a small smile.

**"Arghh!" The blonde screamed dramatically as he dodged the first strike, ducking out of the way while balancing squeamishly on one foot and holding his hands out before himself as though to ward off a particularly large spider.**

**"What... am I seeing…?" Weiss couldn't help but mumble, as the rest of the class went silent. Cardin span in place, using centrifugal force to add more power to his blow as he aimed to crush the teacher's ribs. Again Jaune Arc dodged the blow, stepping backward in such a way that it seemed to be the barest of millimeters between cloth and brutal steel.**

Palms met faces as the beginning of the fight played out from the perspective of the audience. "This… since I know what's actually going on it's hard to watch." Weiss admitted as the others nodded in agreement.

**"Whoah!" He shouted as he stepped inside Cardin's guard the next time, the haft of the weapon whistling past his head, as the weapon crashing uselessly into the ground.**

**"Eeek!" He cried as the next blow threatened to crush his skull, a strike that never connected because at the last moment – when even Weiss was convinced he was dead. He had somehow span out of the way, yet again dodging by the tiniest fraction.**

**It continued for four minutes. A frame of time that seemed so short, but felt so long… and clearly, it felt even longer for Cardin, who was beginning to pant and sweat. He must have swung his giant mace over a hundred and twenty times, each time connecting with nothing, but being forced to lift and swing it once again.**

"I wonder how this looks to us in the book." Ruby mused aloud. "They don't know that Jaune isn't a trained professional Huntsman. "They think he's good enough to be given a teaching position at the age of twenty."

That gave the others pause as they thought a bit on that.

**Each time he had dodged by a hairs-breadth, something that Weiss had realized sometime into the second minute, **_**must**_** have been on purpose. It couldn't have been luck… not considering how long he had kept it going for. And still, he hadn't drawn his weapon.**

**"Arghhhhhh!"**

**And still, he was screaming at each incoming strike. Though by now, no one in the crowd was taking it seriously. The whole fight was a joke.**

**And Cardin was the butt of it.**

"Well, it's working as the wake-up call Professor Goodwitch wanted." Yang pointed out optimistically.

"Yeah, I guess I can see that. Encourage less reliance on your weapon and establish a good base." Pyrrha added in as she tilted her head to the side in thought.

**"This is cruel." Yang mumbled from nearby, "I'm beginning to wish he would just put Cardin out of his misery."**

**"Wearing an opponent out before going for the final blow is a valid strategy." Pyrrha cut in from beside Ruby, who was too busy watching the fight and gasping at every near-miss. "I've used it a few times myself in troubling fights."**

**"And the screaming?" Blake couldn't help but ask.**

The two teams plus Neo all laughed a bit at the manner in which Blake asked that question.

**"Mind games perhaps?" The redheaded champion offered, and Weiss could only nod along with her. Being raised in a business environment, she knew the value of misdirection. If he was **_**genuinely**_** afraid of Cardin, then he could have turned and walked away at any moment. Or drawn his shield and cowered behind it.**

**He was playing with the student… The thought was a frightening one. Was this the level the teaching staff were on compared to them? It should have comforted her, and perhaps in some small way it did. They were being taught by the best. But it was also so frightening. They only had four years at Beacon, and Professor Arc was only a sub-teacher… and barely older than them! If the other teachers were stronger than him too?**

**How was she supposed to catch up?**

Weiss hummed in thought. "What if…this is the minimum level Professor Goodwitch expects out of us by the time we graduate?" she questioned getting uneasy looks from the others.

"How much training would that actually take?" Yang questioned curiously. "I mean it might not say it, but I'm pretty sure this Jaune is a hardcore Kinesthetic learner."

"I don't know why don't we ask Neo here to put you through the ringer?" Blake asked gesturing at the ice-cream themed girl. Neo waved happily at Yang who raised a brow.

**The bout came to an end as crushingly one-sided as it had begun, Cardin swung his mace, yet this time when the teacher was dodging he seemed to **_**collide**_** with Cardin. The two men knocking up against one another for a moment. Weiss was unable to see what complicated martial arts maneuver the Professor had used, but the speed at which Cardin struck the mat told her it was a painful one.**

**To his credit, and she never thought she would say those words about Cardin Winchester, he tried to climb back to his feet. But all he could do was freeze when the teacher's foot rested atop his crotch, promising disaster.**

**"I yield!" Cardin yelped instantly. "I yield, I yield!"**

Both boys winced at seeing Cardin's family jewels threatened in that manner. "Not cool bro," Jaune muttered, his face pale.

**And as the shamed teen made his way back to the seats, and the comforting words of his team, Weiss could not take her eyes from the green bars on the scoreboards. Professor Jaune Arc had defeated one of them, without taking **_**any**_** damage to his aura… and without **_**causing**_** any to Cardin's.**

**And still, he had not drawn his weapon, or even thrown a punch. Cardin was physically one of the stronger people in their class if he had connected even once then the damage could have been huge. But the teacher had picked out the man's one weakness, his speed, and then exploited it so thoroughly, so **_**obviously**_** that out of nothing more than shame, Cardin would work to improve it.**

**This man…**

**This **_**hunter…**_

**Was clearly a genius...**

"Alright I'll admit it, that's pretty cool." Yang conceded with a hapless shrug of her shoulders. "I don't think I could beat someone without taking or doing _any _damage."

The others quickly agreed "Not even I can win without attacking." Pyrrha admitted as her eyes flared in competitive spirit.

"You… don't have to win like that… you know?" Jaune offered weakly as Pyrrha looked all revved up for a match.

**"You da man!" Jaune accused of the blonde in the mirror, hip-thrusting to prove his point as he fake boxed with an invisible opponent. "I am a beast! A wolf! Arrooo!"**

**He paused as he looked around the changing room, thankful to find that no one had actually been around to see that little display. The man in the mirror looked back awkwardly at him, as though embarrassed to have been privy to it. He coughed gently, dispelling it.**

**Yes well… He had successfully managed to pull something out of his ass it seemed.**

Jaune just curled up into a ball and sobbed. On the other hand, Neo began rolling on the floor laughing as her eyes teared up. She paused just long enough to look at Jaune before pointing at him and began laughing again. The rest of his friends were stuck in the middle. Some laughed others patted him on the back comfortingly.

**His nerves finally caught up with him as he collapsed onto one of the wooden benches along the walls, taking a long draught from a bottle of water. He was covered in a light sheen of sweat, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what he routinely went through with Neo.**

**The fight hadn't been either.**

**Was this what Roman had meant when he said youngsters spent too much time focusing on their weapons? Every time Winchester had attacked, it had been telegraphed by the swinging or positioning of his mace.**

Ruby looked as she had been personally insulted by that statement as Yang shot her a look screaming: "I told you so!"

"Well…" Blake hesitated as she glanced at her leader who looked desperate for affirmation that she needed nothing but her weapon. "Having contingencies is always a good thing." Ruby looked betrayed causing Blake to wince internally.

**When he was used to fighting someone whose feet, knees, legs, hips, knees, arms, and fists were weapons? It had been trivially easy to weave in and out of the strikes when he knew they were all coming so far in advance.**

**And when the boy had hit the floor? Well… he had learned his lesson from Roman alright. The question was, would such a fighting style hold up against any of the other students he might be made to face? Surely after seeing Cardin worn down through evasion, they'd know to hold back and pace themselves against him in the future…**

**In the end, he had won through a gimmick.**

"Well learning to pace yourself in combat _is_ a good habit to have," Weiss admitted with a cough. "We can't be good Hunters and Huntresses if we tire ourselves out within the first five minutes."

**"The class has been dismissed Jaune, may I come in?" Glynda's voice came from behind the door, and he nodded his reply, before realizing she couldn't see him.**

**"Sure, I'm decent."**

**If this was the blonde woman's first time in the men's changing rooms, then she didn't let it make her uncomfortable, instead, strolling into the room with nary a care in the world. He didn't need to ask what she thought of his display out there, the little curves at the edges of her lips told it all.**

"Well, she looks happy," Jaune muttered

"I imagine whatever she had wanted you to achieve with that fight was accomplished and then some," Ren muttered.

**"I must say I was pleasantly surprised by you Jaune." She complimented, the tone of her voice as close to gushing as he imagined she could ever sound. "When I explained that I wanted to teach them the difference between a hunter and student, I didn't expect you to grasp my meaning so thoroughly."**

**"Yeah?" Jaune hedged, wondering just what meaning he had so wisely grasped. As far as he'd been concerned it was just a fight to try and win, right?**

**"Absolutely! The Headmaster might think it a little unfair, and I'm sure Port would have something to say about dampening spirits. But it's important they learn just how serious their skills are to their survival." She walked around the room as she said this, before turning to face him at the end, green eyes bright and flashing. "I wanted him defeated quite convincingly, but you **_**crushed**_** him."**

"She…she's a bit sadistic isn't she?" Yang questioned nervously.

"I'm not sure how to answer that," Blake admitted with a shiver

"I want to say very serious about imparting her wisdom in combat to us, but that smile on her face leaves me with doubts." Weiss conceded as she brought her arms up around herself.

**"Y-yeah, maybe it was a bit much?"**

**"No! It was perfect." She exclaimed, before pausing and coughing softly into her fist. Her voice returned to a more normal level afterward, and her expression settled back into her usual stern visage. To his surprise, however, he realized he could still read her pleasure – perhaps in the way she stood slightly more to attention, or the way her eyes looked… "I'm sorry for that outburst. You must think me quite strange to be so pleased with what was effectively the humiliation of one of my students."**

**"I don't think you're strange." Jaune half-lied, wondering for a moment how terrifying it might have been if he actually **_**had**_** become this woman's student.**

Jaune laughed nervously, suddenly happy Glynda had not since been back to the room to read with them.

**"Complacency is a problem in our students, particularly when they have not experienced any life-threatening situations." She began to explain. "Normally I would arrange some bouts between older students, but there's the risk of that making things worse if they actually manage to beat one. Even when I asked you to do this, I knew there would be a chance of people saying `oh he just beat that one guy, I bet I could take him.`" She mimicked a childish voice as she said the last part, and Jaune wondered after it if she had **_**ever**_** been a child. "But the way you defeated him, there can be no doubt at your skill after that display, and what's more you managed it without throwing a single attack. Even the most skilled of them looked shocked."**

"Okay, that makes a lot of sense actually." Pyrrha hummed as she thought about it a bit more. "The display also served to motivate students to learn other means of attack and defense than whatever their weapons provide."

**"Ah well, he relied on his weapon a little too much," Jaune admitted, not wanting her to think too highly of him, lest she set him up to fight an entire team next time or something. "It could have been a much more difficult fight if he had some variety."**

**"A common problem with young teenagers with their beloved weapons." Glynda sighed, "Even those of us who are older sometimes fall back on those same problems."**

**"Do you?" He couldn't help but ask, realizing that he really knew nothing about how his fellow teachers actually fought. Well, except for a very in-depth knowledge of every single battle Peter had ever been a part of. Even the ones where he had fought off Ursa bare-handed.**

The two Beacon teams laughed a bit at the dig at Peter Port. "It would be so much more interesting if we could tell if he was lying or not." Nora nodded her head quickly as she spoke.

"Or if he didn't add in his little tangents into it or his self-gratifications," Weiss added in with a sigh.

**"Allow a woman some secrets Mr. Arc. I might need them should we ever face one another." Her face remained stern, but there was a faint curl to her glossy lips.**

**"I'm not sure I would win that fight." He breathed back, wondering where the sudden heat in the room had come from.**

**"At the least, I would make you draw your weapon."**

_**Oh, for you I'd draw my weap- no! Bad Jaune!**_

Yang gave off a wolf-whistle that had Jaune burying his face into the side of his chair in mortification as Neo just pointed and laughed at him.

**Bad enough that he was already getting hot and bothered over some of the students, without adding his beautiful **_**older**_** superior into the mix. Well, actually it was mainly just that blonde girl who kept teasing…. him…. wait…**

**"Detention!"**

**"Pardon!?"**

**"No, not you!" He waved his arms. "I have two students waiting for detention outside my office, I forgot all about them!"**

"Wow…" Yang looked non-plussed as she shot Jaune a look. "You forgot about _me_?" she asked tone deathly sweet.

"Ah… no?" Jaune hesitated as Yang cracked her knuckles. "Guys, help?" he begged, looking towards his friends.

"He was so young and full of promise." Ruby mock prayed as she clapped her hands together.

"You traitors!" Jaune cried out as Yang pounced as the others joined in with Ruby's prayers.

**He'd been so elated at surviving the session that he had forgotten all about them, at this point they should have been waiting outside his room for nearly half an hour.**

**"A shame." The older woman sighed. "I was going to suggest… well. Never mind now. I will see you come Monday I'm sure." The woman nodded, before turning and vacating the room, leaving Jaune to sit alone.**

_**What had she wanted to ask?**_

"Wonder what that was all about." Nora hummed as Yang dusted her hands off and re-took her seat. Beside her, Jaune whimpered in pain as Fox pulled out a first-aid kit and handed it to Pyrrha.

"Thanks," the champion nodded her head in appreciation before tending to her leader's wounds.

**His curiosity would have to wait. He had a detention to deal with, and two students he desperately needed to sort out so they would stop getting him in trouble in one way or another. If it wasn't the blonde sending his hormones crazy whenever she winked at him, it was the two of them rummaging around in his rooms.**

**Why couldn't all his students just be like Ruby?**

**Still, he had no idea what he was supposed to do with the two girls he was giving detention to. Okay, poor choice of words. Two **_**students,**_** he was giving detention to. Might be best to avoid any suggestive themes with the images his mind was supplying.**

_**Down boy!**_

Blake arched an eyebrow as she sent a look Jaune's way. "Something you want to admit to us Jaune?" she asked coyly causing the blonde to seize up in terror as Yang looked his way once more.

"Nothing at all!" he assured them stiff as a board while Pyrrha tried to get him to relax.

**It only took a few minutes to reach his rooms from the training hall, and to his surprise, there was actually no one waiting outside the room. Had they gotten bored and just left? Or had they decided to play truant and not even show up?**

**Was it wrong of him to be pleased with that?**

**Probably, he considered as he swung the door open.**

**Still, that gave an easy out to him. He could report it to Glynda come the morning, and let her deal with the two, while he caught up on some much-needed slee. . .**

**Crap.**

"They're inside with Neo." Ruby nodded her head knowingly. "I wonder what they're doing."

"Nothing good by the sound of it," Weiss added in as she sent a grin Yang and Blake's way.

**"Erm, hi Prof." Yang Xiao-Long greeted from where she was sat on one of his couches. Beside her sat her partner Miss Belladonna, who looked equally uncertain. Well that was fine, right? They had let themselves in and sat down, that was perfectly normal, right?**

**Why was he sweating so heavily then?**

**"Your er… `friend` let us in?" The blonde explained, pinning the blame on someone who Jaune agreed, really probably did deserve it.**

Neo adopted an innocent expression as she stuck her tongue out making a 'Teehee' motion with her hands.

**"That was **_**nice**_** of you, Neo." He managed to get out, past the grating of his teeth as he stared at the unrepentant midget who was at this very moment idly flipping through a book while sat in his seat. The black-haired student couldn't seem to stop staring at the mute girl, looking nervous as she did so.**

**A single brown eye caught his attention briefly, as the Neo shook her head almost imperceptibly. Maybe it was having dealt with her for a few weeks now, or perhaps he was just becoming more used to reading signs, but he caught her message. A lie.**

**So she hadn't revealed herself willingly to the two? Now that he thought about it, such an action wouldn't have made sense anyway. Incredible troll and snarky ice-cream dependent bitch that she was, Neo was still a career criminal and wasn't going to risk herself for no good reason.**

Neo picked up a random book that had been laying on the floor and tossed it with pinpoint accuracy at Jaune's forehead. "Ow…" he whined as a red mark appeared on his forehead.

**He doubted making his life miserable counted as good enough reason, though it was probably close.**

**His eyes roved back to the two students, who each looked suitably chastened, despite that he hadn't yet said anything. He could almost imagine what had happened; Yang and Blake tired from waiting outside decide to wait inside on the seats in his office. Neo hears the door opening and makes the assumption that it's him, after all, it's Friday night after school hours. She is spotted, and decides to act naturally to prevent suspicion, leaving it to… well…. him to explain things.**

**Joy.**

"I can totally see all of that happening." Yang agreed.

"Based on what's been shown…yeah it makes sense." Blake nodded her head in agreement.

"Pretty good read into our personalities for the most part." Jaune shrugged his shoulders as he glanced at Neo. "What about you? The author getting your actions down right?"

Neo made a show of thinking about it before shrugging her shoulders while nodding her head. "So… kind of?" Ruby guessed. Neo pointed at Ruby and nodded her head.

**"Well, I see you've met Neo!" Jaune introduces with fake cheer, walking up behind the mute girl and placing a hand on each shoulder. "She's an old friend from Vacuo visiting me, and I offered to let her stay the night."**

**Play it naturally, play it calm. As though it was the most obvious thing in the world, and really didn't deserve any suspicion on their parts.**

**"What's she doing in your room?" Blake just **_**had**_** to question. That's an awfully good question Miss Belladonna, what is the unknown girl, who now that he thinks about it – looks awfully young for his apparent age, doing in his bedroom?**

"Well, I suppose most people wouldn't realize Neo is a criminal just by looking at her." Ren surmised as he tilted his head slightly to the side.

**"Reading." His tired brain answered immediately, while an imaginary Jaune resting on his shoulder slapped a palm into its face in disgust. To try and distract himself he leaned down to look over Neo's shoulder to take a look at the book.**

"_**Scream for me." She whispered, dragging her nails across his abdomen as he strained against the chains holding him to the wall. His breath came out in ragged gasps against the thick rag between his teeth, but she simply bit down on his ear, hand reaching down to grasp his turgid-**_

**"Neo!" Jaune shrieked. "What are you reading!?"**

Everyone in the room turned bright red as the contents of the book Neo was reading appeared in their minds. "Ninjas of Love?" Yang asked looking at Blake.

"Ninjas of Love" the black-themed girl affirmed causing Weiss to point a shaky finger in her direction.

"Filthy…" she whispered hoarsely causing Blake to duck her head in embarrassment.

**The girl looked back at him thoughtfully, before holding up one hand with her fingers shaped like a zero, and using her other hand to insert her finger through the hole. Before thrusting it back and forth.**

**Yang snorted.**

**"I gathered that Neo. What I meant was where did you even find this?"**

**"It belongs to Weiss." The blonde student in the room quickly cut in, shrugging one shoulder. "We brought it here because we were worried she was breaking the rules, she has the whole collection."**

Weiss turned as white as a sheet as she rounded on Yang. "You wouldn't!" she seethed.

"What, lie to a teacher and tell them that this porn is yours?" Yang asked while raising an eyebrow.

Weiss deflated "You would." She sighed mournfully.

"I would." Yang agreed with a smirk as Blake frowned at her favorite series being labeled as mere porn once more.

**"Miss Schnee?" He echoed, mind racing at the idea. The ever-polite and rule-abiding Weiss Schnee? Wow, he couldn't say he ever expected that. She seemed far too uptight for something like this… though they did always say it was the quiet ones, didn't they? Gods…**

**"Oh yeah, she's a real pervert in our rooms." Yang continued, waving her arms around as though to emphasize her point. All she really did was emphasize her bouncy assets. "She just acts all polite and perfect around the teachers, but you should see the kind of things she gets up to in our room. All those toys!"**

**"I don't think I should know!" He quickly interrupted, his body already beginning to feel warm. "It's… well, it's not against the rules."**

"There will be retribution Yang," Weiss promised as she glared a hole into the back of Yang's skull. "It will be swift, it will be sudden, and after it's completed you will never be seen the same way ever again."

The R and B of RWBY shivered as did JNPR. Neo looked delighted as she shimmed over to Weiss' side likely trying to figure out what the heiress would do, or even offer her own inputs on what _could_ be done.

**"Ah well, never mind then. We'll take it back and hide it with Weiss' other porn collections." She took the book back from Neo, who seemed content enough to relinquish it. He really didn't want to have to get involved with this issue if Miss Schnee really was… well, causing that kind of disturbance in their rooms. He hoped Ruby was okay.**

**Judging by the horrified look on Miss Belladonna's face, she had hoped he would be able to do more. He did his best to ignore it, even as Yang told the black-haired girl to keep hold of the book for them. Honestly, considering the rumors he had heard about the two of them, he was surprised Blake would be so embarrassed around what was just a book.**

**What an innocent girl. Hopefully she and Ruby both would be able to avoid corruption.**

Yang snorted as did Nora causing the others to look at her oddly. "What?" she asked chipperly. "I know what those books are and we all know that Blake is anything but innocent and pure."

"My body is pure." Blake defended herself.

"You know what I meant." Nora waved her off.

**"So is Neo mute or something?" Yang continued, waving towards the silent girl who simply rolled her eyes at being discussed so obviously.**

**"Yang!" Her partner dug an elbow into her side.**

**"Neo cannot speak I'm afraid, it's due to the trauma she experienced in Vacuo." Roman's advice hadn't served him badly so far, might as well stick to it as much as he could. Idly he looked at Neo to see if she was going along with his story.**

**She was ignoring them entirely, having wandered over to the freezer for some ice-cream.**

Neo nodded her head happily "Ice cream or I make you scream" her sign read causing a bead of sweat to form on the heads of the students.

**Of course, she didn't offer them any, as she padded back and plopped down next to him on the couch. That would be too much kindness to ask for.**

**"I'm sorry to hear that, is that why she is here, to receive treatment from you?"**

**"Exactly so Miss Belladonna." Jaune agreed, internally praising the girl for coming up with such a good excuse. "You know I'm not a licensed psychiatrist, and Neo offered to let me help her as practice for aiding the students."**

Neo raised a brow. Jaune shrugged in response.

**"That's admirable." The girl replied evenly, though she had a small smile on her face. "You must be quite close, to trust one another like that."**

**"Close enough to share an underwear drawer." Yang leered. "In a room with one bed too."**

**Jaune started to sweat nervously, not liking the connections the girl was making. Yes, they did share a room, but only so far as that Neo would wait for him to fall asleep before kicking him out of bed and stealing it for herself! As for the drawers, it was hardly his fault that she was replacing his stuff with her own, while increasingly leaving his clothing strewn on the floor.**

**It was like she was slowly trying to take over his room and life. That one day he would go missing and no one would even realize, because Neo had slowly wormed her way in as his doppelganger!**

**Was that her plan all along!? Hers and Roman's!?**

Neo's other brow rose as her eyes widened in surprise. "Somehow I don't think that's it." Ruby pointed out getting the girl to straighten out her expression. "As I said before, you apparently really like to mess with Jaune."

**"So how come the two of you share a room and a bed? Are you lovers?" The blonde devil demanded, leaning forward with her eyes sparkling with curiosity. He knew he should do something to get control back over the situation. Maybe admonish her that it wasn't any business of hers, or just refused to answer.**

**Maybe it was the exhaustion, or the nerves at just having survived the day fighting against a student more skilled than he was, or maybe it was the fear of what might happen if the two of them reported this to the faculty.**

**For whatever reason, at that very moment. He couldn't help but think that excuse was a good one.**

**"Yeah, we are."**

Two more books found their way into Jaune's face courtesy of Neo who looked incensed at the excuse. "Sorry." Was his only response as he fell back into his chair.

Pyrrha poked her partner's side receiving no response as the others laughed.

**Their responses were varied.**

**Yang's lecherous grin grew to frankly shit-eating proportions as she slammed a fist into one hand as though saying she had called it all along.**

**Blake nodded twice, her head bobbing slightly as she confirmed a thought she had probably held all along. She didn't feel the need to speak on the issue, however, and didn't seem disgusted at the idea.**

**Neo…**

**Oh Gods above, Neo.**

Neo couldn't hide the look of anticipation on her face as she waited for what her other would do to Jaune.

"Should we be worried?" Ruby asked Fox

"Should be fine." He assured them as he went back to reading the papers that just kept forming in front of him.

**One eye studied him from the edge of her vision, the iris flicking between colors as she fixed him with the most **_**neutral**_** expression he had ever seen on her face. A spoon was trapped in her mouth, the handle of it flicking back and forth as she pushed it around with her tongue.**

**That neutrality, as well as the fact that she had stopped eating terrified him.**

_**I'm a dead man.**_

Neo was literally vibrating in place at this point as she waited for the punchline. Around her RWBY and JNPR watched the girl as one would a wild animal.

**Carefully, and with languid grace the small girl rose to her feet before so that she was standing in front of him, the other two girls watching. He could feel the sweat beading on his brow, wondering if she was going to send him spinning across the room via her boot.**

**By this point, he was a frequent flier.**

**His eyes scrunched closed in preparation for the explosion of agony, before cracking open as a weight settled on him, his eyes opening to see just above her hair, as she shuffled her way into his lap.**

Neo's expression sagged a bit in obvious disappointment. "Just keep watching," Fox ordered as he looked up briefly to make sure no one was being murdered in the room.

**A girl was sat in his lap! A cute girl too… it should have been a glorious moment for him…**

_**Oh God, I'm trapped! She has me pinned to the couch, I'm dead. Dead!**_

**"Aw, that's so cute. The tortured young woman rescued from the ruins of an overrun academy by her knight, only to become lovers as he tries to heal her pain." The blonde girl gushed as she watched the two of them. Her partner simply rolled her eyes.**

Neo rolled her eyes 'In your dreams blondie.' She thought silently not bothering to put the words on the sign in her hand.

**"I'd rather you didn't say that." He managed to squeak out passed his desperate attempt to ignore how soft and warm the girl in his lap actually was. **_**Think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts. Miss Goo- No I said unsexy! Grandma! Old ladies! What Neo will do to me if I get a hard-on!**_

**"Well yeah, we'll keep this secret, right Blake?"**

**"Your secret is safe with us Professor since you protected us from what could have been a criminal offense."**

Turning her attention onto Jaune, Neo raised a brow. "Don't give me that look." He ordered which went completely ignored. "The girls in Vale are weirdly attractive looking."

Neo shrugged conceding the point.

**Okay, apparently they had misunderstood why he wanted them to stop talking about him and Neo being lovers, but getting a promise of secrecy out of them wasn't a bad thing either. Though he didn't exactly miss Blake's reference to it being a bargain between them.**

**Don't mention that they broke into his room, and they wouldn't mention that he was hiding a girl in them… this way round it felt more like mutual protection, rather than blackmail.**

**Wasn't this supposed to be their detention though? Where he had the control and they were all apologetic and quick to realize their mistakes? That was how he'd always been when… well… actually, he'd never had detention because he had always been pretty rule-abiding. And had known how to fib his way out of trouble when he needed to, and Oh Gods, didn't that explain a lot about his current situation?**

**He blamed his mother.**

"I wonder what your mother would say if she saw all this?" Yang asked teasingly.

"Don't you dare…" Jaune warned her with narrowed eyes.

"What you gonna do if I do?" she challenged.

"I'll tell your Dad about all the trouble you and Ruby got into this semester." Jaune grinned when both sisters paled. "And then I'll tell him it was all your idea."

Yang growled as her eyes flashed red. "Cheap shot!" she hissed.

"I know a Daddy's girl when I see her." Jaune hissed back.

"I guess a Momma's boy would know!"

As the two blondes bickered back and forth Neo requested more popcorn as she watched in amusement.

**"So are the two of you like **_**together**_**, or is it just casual?" Yang asked after a few moment's silence. Before he could even think of an answer Neo held up two fingers. "The second one, casual?" Yang offered, to which Neo nodded easily. "How is he?"**

**"Hey!" He objected. Right as Neo made a waving motion with one hand as if to say **_**meh.**_** "Hey!"**

**"Ha, he must have something though to keep you coming back though. Magic hands, skilled tongue, massive-Mbphl!" The last was muffled by Blake's hand latching over the blonde's mouth, much to his relief.**

Weiss and Ruby gradually turned redder and redder as the book continued while Blake watched everything in growing amusement. Ren shared a look with Nora who giggled a bit while Pyrrha smiled fondly.

**Except that the words she was uttering had stirred images in his brain that weren't healthy. **_**Don't do it. Don't do it!**_** He whispered to himself like a mantra. On his lap, Neo continued to make gestures with her hands, apparently holding a silent conversation with the blonde. He meanwhile, continued to think of pointedly anything other than her soft posterior on his crotch, or the thought of his allegedly skilled tongue and magic hands.**

_**Don't do it!**_

**Yang laughed past the hand holding her mouth closed, fighting herself free from her partner as she gently pushed her friend aside in complaint.**

_**Don't do it!**_

**"Was he a lady-killer at Vacuo?"**

"He's gonna do it." Nora sang before falling into a fit of giggles.

**Jaune blotted out the one-sided conversation. Focusing his every muscle and instinct on controlling that single impulse born into all males. His mind would triumph over matter, his discipline over desire. Jaune Arc was a slave to nothing.**

_**ATTEN-SHUN!**_** A lower part of his body saluted.**

**Neo went deathly still. Even as Yang and Blake continued on in the background. Her head tilted to the side, barely a fraction, but enough for him to see the corner of her eye.**

**Her gaze resembled an arctic winter.**

_**Fuck my life…**_

Neo tried mimicking the expression and Jaune shivered in response. Seeing his reaction Neo smirked and quickly clambered onto his lap. "Hey!" he complained as she made herself comfortable. She shot him her new look shutting him up. Nodding in satisfaction she patted his head before turning back to the book.

**OMAKE:**

**I'm coming, hold on!" Jaune called out as someone hammered on the door to his office. From the nearby couch, Neo seemed to perk up, before her face took on an expression that almost looked like fear. A moment later she vanished.**

**"Huh, wonder what that was all about."**

"Neo running scared?" Yang wondered tilting her head to the side before looking at the small woman.

Said woman shrugged her shoulders not sure what to make of her own actions without a bit of context.

**His thoughts were interrupted as the door began shaking once more, whoever was behind it apparently have very limited patience.**

**It couldn't have been another member of the faculty, only Glynda knocked, and hers was never this insistent. Peter would barge in, acting for all the world like barriers to entry didn't apply to him, while Oobleck would never show up without some kind of prior appointment. Following which he would arrive at the precise nano-second.**

**Ozpin? The only times he ever showed up was when Glynda had managed to find and destroy one of his coffee stashes. In those cases, the man would come crawling in like a dying man in search of sustenance.**

The two teams gave off deadpan expressions as they considered everything shown to them. "Makes you wonder about the sanity of our teachers doesn't it?" Weiss asked after a pause.

"Makes me want to get Professor Goodwitch that gift basket we keep mentioning." Ruby pointed out.

**Wasn't likely to be Cardin either, the guy was still recovering from Jaune introducing an electrical jockstrap as a negative stimulus. His treatment for his racism was still on-going, though the young man was handling it all like a trooper. Albeit a trooper who had been suffering from a painfully forced erection for the last three days.**

Neo looked at Jaune in surprise. "What?" he asked trying his best not to react to any of her movements. "Oh that?" he asked seeing where Neo was looking. "The previous side story painted Cardin as being mentally conditioned to be racist against Faunus. To undo this mental conditioning this version of me tried to associate a stronger negative stimulus to racist behavior.

She held up a sign "Is it working?"

"We're not actually sure yet," Pyrrha admitted as she looked at Neo's position enviously.

**"He-llooo...?" Jaune greeted uncertainly as he opened the door to gaze on a blood-red and white mask, with a mass of feathers peeking from behind it. The mask was shaped like some kind of bird, or at the very least it had a beak – which was about as far as Jaune's knowledge of ornithology went.**

**"Are you the student counselor?" The vaguely female voice emanated from within the mass of mask and feathers. He took a moment to glance down at the dark red, was that blood-stained, dress the maybe-woman was wearing. Noticing the long sheathe at her side.**

**"Depending on what you want, I might be."**

**"I am in search of counseling."**

**"Then I am."**

"Who is that?" Weiss asked curiously wondering if this person was someone important.

Yang blinked in surprise before pulling out the picture she had used at Junior's to get information. "No way…" she muttered showing everyone else the picture. Neo glanced at it before recoiling in horror. "Yeah…that's my mother." Yang confirmed for the girl who stared at her in shock.

**"Good. I would hate to have to dispose of a witness." The figure sighed out, reaching up with both hands to slowly remove the mask from her face. For it was a she, a she with incredibly pale skin and dark red eyes. Those two orbs pierced into his own blue orbs, even as she flicked her pitch-black hair in an effort to remove a few stray feathers.**

**"I would hate to be disposed of too. I'm a student counselor by the way, are you even a student here?"**

**The woman stepped forward, forcing him to step back as she invited herself into his office, closing the door behind herself with a nudge from her sheathed blade.**

**"I am not. Will that be a problem?"**

"She… sounds cold and uncaring." Nora mentioned hesitantly.

"Sounds about right since she had me than abandoned our family," Yang muttered angrily as memories of trying to find this woman surfaced in her mind.

**"Of course… not!" Jaune quickly amended when her hand fell to her hilt. "Take a seat, tell me how I can help you."**

**Maybe for this one, he would refrain from prescribing electrolysis as a treatment, since she seemed capable of making him a head shorter.**

**Still though… there was something strangely familiar about the woman like he had seen her before. Certainly not though, he would have remembered someone with such distinctive features… like bright red eyes.**

"Ah… have my eyes flashed red in front of Professor Arc yet?" Yang asked not quite remembering if they had.

"I don't think so." Ruby offered softly.

"I wonder what the joke here is then," Blake muttered worried despite intellectually knowing nothing bad would happen.

**"My name is Raven Branwen." The woman introduced, taking a moment to unhook her weapon from her belt and rest it by the seat she sat at. Still close enough to bring to bear if needs be. Not that he was likely to attack her, considering he'd left Crocea Mors in his bedroom. **_**Never needed to be armed in my office before…**_

**"Jaune Arc." He shot back easily. "If you want my counsel then you'll need to tell me what's wrong. Start as frankly as you can."**

**"I abandoned my daughter and now want her back."**

Yang blinked in surprise before remembering what Fox had told them. "Right no bearing on the actual story." She muttered to herself.

"Or used to explain things that didn't get explained in the main story," Fox added in reminding them of the second part of what he said. "But for the most part, you're right. These are more for comedy than anything else."

**"Okay… well, that was pretty fucking frank. Can we maybe be a teensy bit less so?"**

**"I had a daughter with a man before my responsibilities dragged me elsewhere. I had always intended to return but found that he had moved onto a new woman. Now I wish to reveal myself to my daughter and earn her love."**

**Okay, that made a little more sense, while also making the woman sound less like a raving lunatic. Still… he couldn't help but think there was something wrong with the situation.**

"I have no idea how to take this," Yang admitted openly.

"Neither would I in this circumstance." Ren offered his condolences.

**"You realize a student counselor doesn't really cover marriage counseling, right? I don't see why you would come here for this kind of advice." He cautioned. Before adding `please don't kill me` in a tiny voice.**

**"I understand that Jaune Arc, I have come here because my daughter is, in fact, a student of this establishment, one you know personally."**

**"Blake?!" He gasped dramatically, seeing the familial relationship between the two as clearly as-**

**"Yang Xiao-Long actually."**

Ruby giggled a bit at the reaction. Blake glanced at her hair before pulling out a mirror "Do we look similar?" she asked looking at Yang.

"Kind of?" she hedged seeing a few similarities.

**O…kay? He supposed he could see the similarity maybe, in the skin color perhaps, and a little bit of the face. And definitely in that bombastic cleavage if he was honest. But damn, the father must have been **_**very**_** blonde for it to overpower that dark mane.**

**"I feel like I should point out that Yang has a sister she dearly loves, and whom she would probably not appreciate being killed."**

**And damn it, Ruby was his friend. Possibly the last non-perverted bastion of peace in the entire academy.**

**"I hold no ill-will towards Ruby Rose and have no intention of breaking up her family. I just wish to be reunited with her once more."**

Silently Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "Honestly if Raven wanted to be a part of my life but simply didn't know how to go about re-entering it like it's being suggested in this I'd be happy."

"And she still sounds like a better parent than my father," Weiss muttered bitterly.

**Okay, that was good. As long as no limbs were about to go flying around over the issue, then it was A-okay with him.**

**"That's good. Honestly, Mrs. Branwen, I don't see the problem. I'm sure Yang would listen to you if you went and talked with her." Now, he couldn't promise what Yang's response might be – but by that point, it really wouldn't be his problem anymore.**

**"Please, call me Raven. I am no longer married to a man who would replace me so easily." Her voice turned bitter at the end, and honestly, he could understand it. What must it feel like to have your spouse go off and marry another, taking your child with them? "And my… the problem, if you will. Is that my daughter no doubt believes I abandoned her."**

**"Did you?"**

**"It was too dangerous to take her with me." Raven bristled, sitting taller in her seat and leaning towards him. "I couldn't risk my daughter where I went."**

Yang fell silent as she leaned in to listen.

"I… kind of hope this is true," Ruby admitted seeing her sister behave this way. "I know this whole thing with her birth mom is causing Yang some issues."

The others shared a look but couldn't offer any words or advice.

**"And how long were you gone? Must have been before Ruby, so what, fifteen, sixteen years?"**

**"I didn't expect it to take so long! What would you have had me do, take a baby with me into dangerous territory!?" The woman shouted, rising to her feet even as he did the same. Their eyes burned into one another's as she hissed. "Would you have risked her life so easily?"**

**"I would have **_**stayed**_** with her." He hissed back. "I would have considered my family more important than anything else in the world. I would never leave any children I might have had."**

**She seemed to deflate at those words, the fight leaving her as she slumped back down into her seat.**

**"Perhaps you'll be a better parent than I was then."**

"Okay, this is getting really emotional really quickly," Nora whispered as she wiped her eyes a little bit.

"Yeah…" Jaune swallowed nervously as Yang didn't make a sound nor did she move a muscle as she watched and waited for things to be revealed to her.

**Jaune stood, looking down on her. The danger, it seemed, had fled. Leaving behind this half-broken woman who didn't know what to do. How was it that she was even a mother anyway? She looked so very young, with that same ageless grace Miss Goodwitch sported. Letting out a sigh, he sat down beside her, hesitantly placing an arm around her shoulders.**

**"You're trying to fix your mistakes." He pointed out with a small smile towards her. "I think it's harder to own up to, and fix mistakes, then it is to never make them. You're a good woman."**

**"But not a good mother?"**

"She does look young doesn't she?" Ren noted as he coughed to dispel some of the awkwardness in the room.

"Some deep words being thrown about too." Blake agreed as she reflected on her own mistakes.

**"Maybe you will be. Once you tell Yang the truth." He finished, giving her a tighter squeeze which the woman seemed to draw some small energy from. She laughed softly, the gentle sound seeming at odds with her bright red eyes. Though he supposed they now looked less threatening, more natural and kind.**

**Like any other set.**

**"Hmm, sounds like you'll be a good father in time Jaune. If you keep up that wisdom and that determination." Jaune laughed nervously at the praise, his face taking on a slightly tortured expression.**

**"Ah well… actually, I've never even had a girlfriend. I don't think I'll be having any kids anytime soon." Not with how unlucky he was with the ladies at any rate, and considering that every girl his age was off-limits due to him being a teacher…**

"Okay…I sense something coming…" Ruby muttered looking both relieved and horrified at the same time.

**"Is that so?" Raven whispered, her face taking on a more… complicated expression. Something between a smile, deep thought and something else. With one pale finger tapping her lower lip.**

**"Hmmm… Jaune?" Raven hummed, turning on the seat so that she was facing him, eyes shining with a glint that once more terrified him… though there was some other implication in that predatory gaze.**

**"Yeah…?" He managed.**

**"There's something else I need some **_**advice**_** on…"**

Neo gulped as she looked back at her seat. Hesitantly she wrote on her sign. "Reserved?"

Jaune went blank-faced as he sighed. "No, it's not." He muttered tiredly.

**"I don't think I did anything wrong today." Yang Xiao-Long mumbled to herself as she made her way towards Professor Arc's offices, heeding the summons that had sounded out over the PA system. She didn't recognize the voice that had spoken, but that hardly meant anything since there were plenty of staff members she wasn't familiar with at Beacon.**

**Better safe than sorry.**

**This would put a real damper on her style though if she had **_**another**_** detention with the guy. Especially when she hadn't bloody well-done anything wrong. For once.**

"Oh, poor Yang," Pyrrha whispered already understanding where the joke was going.

**"Yo, I'm here." She called at the door, knocking on it a few times for good measure.**

**"Come in." A voice she didn't recognize, except she sort of did, called.**

**"Er, hi." Yang greeted the strange-looking woman as she let herself into the office. A cursory glance around showed that the Professor was in fact here, sat beside the woman with a vacant expression on his face.**

**Looked like he was out of it.**

Yang blinked as she no doubt began to realize what was happening. "Mother…"

"Yang! Let's not complete that statement okay?" Ruby begged as Jaune turned red in the face as he connected the dots.

**The woman, no doubt the one responsible, was a strange-looking one too. She looked oddly familiar, though not in any way she could honestly place. Her eyes though… she could almost feel her own normally purple orbs flare red in response.**

**"What have you done to the Professor!?" She demanded of the woman, even as she hesitantly sat down across from them. "Yo, Prof. Jaune, you there?" She hissed across the table.**

**"Tee-hee… please… yes… so good..." The man mumbled in response to his name, shivering slightly in his seat as a flare of color came across his cheeks. He didn't seem to come out of whatever haze he was in, however.**

Weiss' cheeks colored as she covered her face with her hands. "I can't believe this." She muttered softly.

**"You'll have to forgive Jaune, Yang. I think I broke him with some of my more **_**adventurous**_** moves."**

**"You used your semblance on him!?" Yang gasped, wondering if this was an enemy attack.**

**"Sure… my semblance… let's go with that." The woman smiled, even as the young Professor's nose began to bleed. "But let us put that aside for now Yang. I have something you need to know."**

"Here it comes…" Ruby muttered as Yang tried to contain her anger.

**Yang didn't reply but prepared herself for the onset of violence. No matter what came forward, she would be prepared. Ready to fight, ready to defend her sister, ready to free Jau-**

**"I'm your mother."**

…

**"What!?" Yang managed to choke out, confusion mixing with horror mixing with a whole host of other emotions.**

**"And this is your new father-in-law!" The woman cooed, as she dragged the comatose man into her bosoms.**

**"WHAT!?"**

"JAUNE!" Yang screamed as Jaune threw Neo off of him and bolted out the door. "COME BACK HERE!" she screamed as she charged after him.

Neo rubbed her bruised backside before quickly writing a message on her sign. "I can't even get mad at him for that…"

* * *

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Next chapter Sep. 2


	10. Reading chapter 10

"Fox?" the voice of Glynda Goodwitch called out as the two teams waited for Yang and Jaune to return.

Fox looked up and blinked in surprise. "Yes, Glynda we're here." He called out as the door to the room opened and Glynda walked in Yang and Jaune in tow.

"Can you explain to me why Miss Xiao Long was chasing Mr. Arc here?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow. "And why a criminal element is in here as well?" she added in seeing Neo.

The fox-like being tilted his head as he considered the questions. "To answer your first question Yang saw a little side story in which her mother returns and seduces Jaune and makes him Yang's father in law." Glynda blinked before turning to Yang who turned bright red and looked away. "As for the second question Neo plays a big part in this story, I felt that it was only fair she get to see it too."

The professor sighed but conceded the point. "Fair enough I suppose." She muttered while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Would you like to join us for a while?" Fox questioned as he produced another chair for her. "Since you're here already."

Glynda quickly checked her workload and nodded her head. "I can spare a bit of time." She noted as she took a seat. "What have I missed?" she asked as the two teams quickly filled her in.

_**I'm a dead man. I am literally a dead man waiting for the execution.**_

**Jaune idly wondered if it was worth holding his breath to end it all now, or whether that would be too much emotional scarring for the two students sitting opposite him. He certainly knew which result Neo would vote for, considering the way she kept glaring at him from the corner of her eyes, in between smiling at the conversation the other two were having with them.**

**"I just mean Oobleck gives **_**so**_** much homework, it's impossible to keep up with it!" Yang complained while Blake did her best to mitigate – no doubt worried the complaints would offend him. On the contrary, he knew the reason Oobleck gave so much was because the hyperactive man actually thought twenty pages was what the average man person could compose in ten minutes.**

**Oobleck honestly thought he was being kind.**

Neo raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the two teams who seemed to be suffering some sort of trauma. "So much…writing." Jaune moaned as Ruby's eyes became swirls.

Glynda couldn't help but sigh tiredly. "Damn it, Bartholomew."

**"Well girls, homework is homework." Jaune laughed, desperately trying to figure out where he was supposed to put his hands. He wanted to rest them in his lap, but that was obviously dangerous territory now. Was he supposed to put them on top of Neo's legs? He had a feeling that would get him killed.**

**In fact, he had a feeling making any sudden movements towards the small girl would result in his head coming off.**

**The girl in question shuffled subtly, trying to maneuver the two of them into a more comfortable position, preferably one where his length wasn't running perfectly between her cheeks. Instead, all that happened was his lower body twitching lightly at the friction, even as his breath caught in his throat.**

Neo flushed slightly as she quickly jabbed Jaune in the stomach. "WHY!" he cried out as he doubled over.

"I mean…" Nora glanced back at the book her face tinted a little red. "It looks like you deserve it, fearless leader."

"You're taking her side?" Jaune gaped at his teammate who nodded with a wry smile.

Ren stoically placed his hand on Jaune's shoulder "Good luck," And consigned him to his fate.

**"Quit it." He whispered urgently, his voice low enough that their two guests wouldn't hear anything. "You're not helping!" She shot him another dirty glare at that, clearly suggesting that **_**he**_** wasn't really helping matters either. Another shuffle pressed her small rump directly onto his tip, causing him to lurch reflexively, his arms wrapping around her stomach to keep her still.**

**Predictably, that action failed to please her. If the nails digging into his hands, which were joined **_**romantically**_** over her stomach meant anything. She finally kept still, however, settling back into him in apparent realization of how futile it was. Honestly, if she just kept still then it would probably go down of its own accord.**

Glynda coughed into her hands a barely noticeable red tint coloring her cheeks. "Well… I suppose something like this was to be expected." She murmured.

Yang laughed a little as she rubbed the back of her head. "It is a little clichéd." She nodded in agreement while Neo stared at Jaune and contemplated re-taking her seat on his lap again. She even went as far as using her hands to weigh the pros and cons of such an action.

Pyrrha seeing Neo's actions quickly slid next to Jaune as if to say "Mine." Team RWBY smiled in their own ways happy to see Pyrrha starting to take initiative.

**The two students hadn't seemed to realize their predicament, instead, continuing to talk about their classes – a simple safe question Jaune had asked in order to get the two of them talking. His mother had once said it was easy to pretend to pay attention and be polite, that the true trick was just finding what they wanted to complain about. Then you could tune out and visit your own world while they yapped on.**

**Or in this case, he could take the time to try and calm himself down, and force his body to bloody well relax already!**

"Did she really say that?" Blake asked Jaune who blushed under the attention.

"Ah… yeah…" he muttered softly causing Blake to hum as she considered it.

Weiss coughed lightly into her hand. "Blake, you're not thinking of diverting our attention into our own grievances in order to tune us out are you?" she asked causing Blake's bow to twitch as she looked away.

"No, never." She responded unconvincingly.

"Wow, Blake… really?" Yang drawled as she stared at her partner.

"I wasn't!" she asserted a bit more strongly.

"Blake…" Ruby's lips trembled as tears started forming in her eyes.

"I won't! I won't! I promise!" Blake caved in and quickly waved her hands in front of her face. "Stop looking at me with those eyes!" in her panicked state she missed the small fist pump Ruby gave off when she gave in.

**But who could blame him!? She might be a criminal, a possible psychopath and vicious beyond all belief, but there was no one who could say Neo wasn't sexy as all Hell. She was exotic, cute, curvy and so incredibly soft and warm in his lap. He could perfectly feel her soft cheeks pressing into his crotch, and her warm legs molding against the inside of his thighs-**

_**No no no no NO! Stop thinking that!**_

Neo raised an eyebrow before turning towards Jaune. "Neo I would appreciate it if you don't escalate things," Pyrrha announced as she smiled slightly. "Do I make myself clear?" she asked as if daring Neo to challenge her on this. Neo looked saddened by the loss of entertainment but nodded her head only to take a seat on Pyrrha's lap instead. The champion flinched in surprise but didn't resist as Neo leaned into her. "You are soft." She noted in surprise.

**The images were impossible to dispel, however, and had the expected result, with him hardening even further. Neo flinched in his lap, brows shooting up as she looked back at him as if to say **_**Seriously!? More!?**_** There was even some color coming to her cheeks.**

_**I can't help it!**_** He tried to transmit back telepathically.**

**Funnily enough, she didn't seem to agree with his claim and started to lazily tap the heel of one of her boots against his shin. A subtle motion, almost as though she was doing it without thinking and rocking one of her feet back and forth. He might have believed it a nervous habit were it not for the **_**metal-capped**_** heels repeatedly driving into his shin.**

Neo's shoulders shook up and down as she silently giggled at the scene. Pyrrha smiled in her own manner. "Is it me, or is our Neo a lot mellower than the one in the book?" Ruby asked curiously.

"No, I think you're right." Weiss agreed as she watched Neo interact with Pyrrha and Jaune.

**He had no idea how Yang and Blake could have failed to notice the way he kept wincing and flinching, thankfully the two seemed locked in their own conversation – this time discussing Port's class. He could tell that if it weren't for his aura, his shin might be broken by now – but that knowledge did little to alleviate the pain he was feeling at that moment. It was causing his entire body to tense up.**

**Let it be said, Jaune Arc was not a masochist, never had been, never would be. It must have been a reaction to the pain, perhaps his muscles contracting or something. Or the blood rushing to his lower body, something… he definitely was not turned on by pain, despite what his further hardening member suggested.**

**He closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to ignore the pain as Neo increased the speed of her kicking tenfold.**

The two teams laughed a bit at Jaune's predicament as Neo showed off her own set of steel-capped heels. Glynda sighed a little. "Mr. Arc…" she trailed off, not even sure where to begin.

**"Okay, you know what? I think you've learned your lesson!" Jaune shouted out suddenly, cutting into their conversation. "I trust if we call the detention here then I won't find you sneaking into my rooms again?"**

**"Of course not sir," Blake promised, bowing her head to him slightly.**

**"Don't worry, we know our way around now. No getting lost." Yang teased, getting another elbow to her ribs from Blake. "And I can't help but think you're getting rid of us for some late-night action, eh? Eh!?"**

Neo and Jaune shared a look before staring at Yang with the most deadpan expressions they could muster up. "What?" she asked looking a little lost under their gazes.

**"Yang! I'm sorry about her sir, she doesn't engage her brain." The dark-haired girl apologized, dragging her partner behind her as she made her way to the door. Before they left however Yang leaned her head back in with a grin.**

**"If it's casual then that means he's still on the market ice-cream girl. Don't rule me out yet!"**

**The door slammed behind them, as the blonde motor-mouth was dragged away. Perhaps he should have focused more on her words, but all his attention was for the literal bomb in his lap, which was likely to go off at any moments.**

"Damn it, Yang," Ruby muttered as she slapped her own forehead.

"You really don't have a filter do you?" Blake asked in morbid curiosity.

"How is any of this my fault?" Yang questioned as she looked for any help from her friends.

**Neo teleported off him the moment the door clicked closed, and it was literal teleportation too, semblance enhanced or whatever she did. She reappeared across from him, standing up with one hand rubbing her rear and an accusing expression on her face as she watched him.**

**Jaune swallowed.**

**"Now Neo…" He began nervously, as she watched him with baleful eyes. "I think we can both agree this was a bit of a weird situation eh? Almost funny if we look back on it, ha ha…" His laugh died unconvincingly… as did his hope of her considering the matter an embarrassing accident.**

"You should run Jaune," Ren noted seriously as he glanced at the Neo in the room with them. "This one doesn't _look_ like she'll kill you right now." Neo gave them a toothy smile before running her thumb along her neck. "But you never know," Ren concluded as he blinked once more turning his focus back onto the book.

**She looked positively murderous, eyes flicking between colors so fast he could hardly follow them. Slowly, and deliberately, she lifted up a spoonful of ice-cream to her lips and licked it off. He hoped she didn't notice the way his eyes followed her tongue.**

_**Libido, please!**_

**Perhaps the sugary treat calmed her, as a lazy smile came over her lips. She inspected him with a smile, eyes both settling on a light cream as she sashayed towards him, hips swaying from one side to another. Jaune's throat locked up instantly, as his eyes zeroed in on her.**

**Holy shit, had he misread the situation entirely!? She did seem unusually embarrassed by his actions… could it be? Could it seriously be!?**

"Nope." All of the girls in the room said at the same time as Neo shook her head vigorously.

**"N-neo?" He tried, as the girl leaned forward and settled one finger on his knee, before a second and third joined it, her palm resting against his trouser leg, fingers splaying out to the inside of his knee. His breathing quickened as those digits trailed higher, tracing up towards his crotch**

**She looked up from staring down at him, coyly smiling.**

**Right before she slammed the freezing cold ice-cream down on his painfully erect member.**

**Jaune screamed.**

Jaune winced at that as the girls all laughed. "Saw that one coming," Yang muttered wiping her eyes. Glynda coughed once to clear her throat.

"Yes… I do believe that the outcome was fairly obvious." She agreed as she glanced at the much shorter woman.

**"I'm going out into Vale today." He said to the unnaturally still pile of blankets inhabiting his bed, doing his best to ignore the slight glint of something sharp and metallic in the darkness. He definitely wasn't running away from his own room in fear of Neo, he just **_**wanted**_** to go shopping and see the sights.**

**He'd thought his punishment last night to be the end of it honestly…. an act of quick and painful revenge for what was ultimately an embarrassing accident. Surely they would both laugh and forget about it?**

**The baleful eyes staring out from under his covers suggested not. Really, she was like a cat whose tail you had stepped on four days ago. Holding a grudge until the end of time.**

"Someone's in the dog house!" Nora crowed as she poked fun at Jaune who gave her a sarcastic laugh.

"At least I'm not the one on a leash." He muttered causing the hammer wielder to turn bright red.

**There was a rustling from the sheets as the girl within them sat up, keeping the blankets wrapped around her pajama-clad form. Which appeared to be a set of comically-large flannel nightwear in various shades of pink and cream. She held the blankets tight around her shoulders, covering herself from view as though she expected him to try and cop a feel at any moment.**

**Okay, he probably deserved that. Though it would be a brave man indeed who dared to try and touch the girl when she was wearing **_**that**_** kind of expression.**

**"So I'll be out of your way today, there's ice-cream in the freezer…" He trailed off as her eyes continued to follow him, still narrowed as though tracking his every move. He couldn't help but be reminded once more of a feline. A very angry house-cat, that was considering the most efficient manner in which to eviscerate him.**

"Pity the man who is chased out of his own home." Ren nodded his head sagely.

"Or, you can point and laugh," Yang added on as she laughed at Jaune. Ren's visage shook slightly as he resisted the temptation to laugh at his friend's predicament.

"You're terrible Yang." Weiss reprimanded her to which the blonde simply shrugged her off.

**"K, bye!" He shouted out as he slammed the bedroom door closed behind him, grabbing his wallet and heading out towards the Bullhead docks.**

**Even motion sickness seemed preferable to being around certain death. Perhaps a little bit of time apart would make her forgive him?**

**Ha, yeah right.**

Neo gave off the "I'm watching you" motion as she moved herself to be as far away from Jaune as possible while still being on Pyrrha's lap. Pyrrha merely smiled unsure where she could put her hands, but not having the heart to tell Neo to move.

**Vale was as bustling as ever on a Saturday, crowds milling between shops and cafes as people took subtle pleasure in whittling away their free time. Jaune blended in with them easily, taking a simple joy in having absolutely nothing to do, and being able to revel in that lazy fact.**

**It was something he planned to participate in as well.**

**Classes were finished, and because he wasn't an official teacher with his own class, there was no homework he needed to look over. He even had himself sorted for the following week's lessons, which were limited because there was some kind of first-year outing coming up.**

"Ah yes, the trip to Forever Fall," Glynda recalled as she nodded her head.

"Wasn't that where you…" Ruby trailed off as she glanced at Jaune.

"Settled things with Cardin?" Jaune suggested. "Yeah, I remember."

**All in all, it was a good day to do absolutely nothing, and Jaune Arc was a master of that skill. There would be no crazy lessons, no Grimm being let loose in class. No teenage girls sneaking into his room, and definitely no brushes with angry criminals liable to take his head off at a moment's notice.**

**Either of his heads!**

**No. This day was marked down as a day of lazy rest, of de-stressing and relaxing.**

"Something tells me that isn't going to happen," Blake noted with a small frown.

"As if an author worth their salt would pass up the opportunity to make a character eat their own words." Weiss waved it off.

**Which was why it came as some small surprise when he went from standing upright with a can of grape-juice in one hand, to lying flat on his ass with a set of rock-hard abs threatening to smother him.**

**"Ow." He offered as greeting to the admittedly-fabulous pectorals.**

**"Shit, that hurt." His new friend greeted back.**

**"Professor!?" A soft feminine voice questioned from somewhere nearby.**

**"Hrro." Jaune attempted past bronzed skin, even as the weight above him was pulled off by someone. "Hello, Miss Belladonna." He tried again, letting out a defeated sigh.**

**One day… just one **_**fucking**_** day…**

**Was that really too much to ask?**

"Are they doing the Dock incident before the Forever Fall trip?" Yang asked in surprise.

"I guess so." Blake nodded her head.

"Why?" Ruby questioned as she looked around. "Didn't we go to Forever Fall before the whole Dock thing?"

"Maybe because other than Jaune finding his backbone nothing of note happened at Forever Fall?" Weiss suggested.

"Weiss." Pyrrha voiced her warning. "That wasn't very nice."

"I'm just saying if there's no literary need to put it in why would you." Weiss amended her meaning as she gave in to Pyrrha's over-protectiveness.

**"Sorry 'bout that teach!" The blonde Faunus apparently known as Sun Wukong apologized, waving both his hands dramatically while holding a cup of tea with his tail. Jaune couldn't help but follow the movements of the prehensile limb as it lifted the mug to his lips so he could take a drink. Idly he wondered what Ozpin would give up to be able to do that.**

Glynda huffed. "Ozpin would have _loved_ being able to do that." She noted with a suffering sigh.

**"It's fine." He allowed, blue eyes flicking between the monkey Faunus and his own student, who seemed significantly less content than she had just the previous night. At this point, though it was none of his business, there were a million little reasons to feel down – but this was a weekend. **_**His**_** weekend. And he wasn't going to spend it working as a student counselor when he didn't have to. He made to leave. "I don't want to be a spare wheel though, you two enjoy your date."**

**"What? It's not a date!" Blake refuted angrily, recoiling back as though stung at the idea. Jaune didn't fail to notice the other blonde wince at the blow to his ego. Jaune could empathize.**

**Ouch.**

"Talk about a burn." Jaune winced feeling sorry for Sun who wasn't even here.

"Blake… you've got to let them down gentler than that." Ruby chastised Blake who looked bewildered by the sudden scolding.

"Yeah Blake, at the very least don't make it seem like dating him would be horrible." Yang grinned at her partner who shot her an annoyed look.

**"Actually Professor, sir… I think I need to tell you something." She sounded solemn, broken, even as her amber eyes stared down into the tea before her. Jaune sighed as he fell back into his seat, seeing his day vanishing before his very eyes.**

**Damn his bleeding heart. He just hoped it would be something easy to work thro-**

**"I'm withdrawing from Beacon."**

**Or it could be something incredibly dramatic like that. No, it's okay life, it's cool. Free time was for the weak, right!?**

Team RWBY recoiled at the reveal as the R and Y quickly turned towards Blake. "Why!" they cried out as they latched onto her.

"Agh!" Blake cried out as they toppled over. "It's fine I'm not leaving!" she shouted out over their blubbering. "This happened in _our_ past!"

**"Why?" He managed to force out, leaning forward to listen to the unnaturally quiet response. Just last night she had been **_**fine**_**. Absolutely fine, with not a problem to speak of. What could possibly have happened in the intervening fourteen hours!?**

**"I've caused discord in my team, I don't think I can work together with them anymore."**

**"Miss Belladonna, you realize that teams have arguments all the time. There's no reason to feel so bad about it." He reasoned. Wondering what he was supposed to say. What he was supposed to do. She didn't want to leave, that much was oh so obvious from the expression on her face.**

**"I believe the damage is irreparable, it's best I left."**

Glynda adjusted her glasses "Miss Belladonna." She intoned quietly but sternly causing everyone to freeze as attention was given to her. "We would appreciate it if you try approaching us teachers for mediation before taking such drastic measures."

**"Best for who?" He tried. She and Yang had looked so close last night… and he knew Ruby thought the world of her team. None of them would want to see her go, and he was sure Miss Schnee was the same, strange hobbies about ninja notwithstanding.**

**"For everyone."**

**"Bullshit!" Jaune accused, causing the girl to jump at the sudden tone. "Don't presume to decide what's best for others Miss Belladonna, to me, it looks like you're just running away because you don't want to face them."**

"Were you always this dramatic?" Weiss asked Blake who blushed a bit seeing the actions of her other-self.

**"I'm not running away!" She hissed angrily. Finally, some emotion from the girl other than misery, though he couldn't help but wish she had chosen agreement or acceptance.**

**"If you withdraw without even talking to your team, then it's running away. You're not even giving them a chance to make up with you."**

**"Teach is right y' know?" The blonde Faunus agreed, holding his fist out towards Jaune. He felt foolish, especially since he was apparently older, but he still bumped it. "You don't know what your team's reactions gonna be like. You all looked pretty close, from what I saw."**

"Understatement," Nora whispered to Neo who nodded in understanding.

**"You don't even know what this is about!" The girl hissed at the two of them, reaching up and tearing her bow from her hair. Jaune watched curiously, as two appendages that should not have been there twitched furiously.**

**She was a Faunus… **_**that**_** was new.**

**"Sooo…?" Jaune trailed off, unsure what her point really was. There was plenty of Faunus at Beacon, and while he was aware that some of them were bullied – he knew team RWBY never took part in that. "I don't see your point."**

Blake covered her face with her hands utterly embarrassed. "Is this what it looked like?" she asked herself unwilling to watch this teenage angst that she apparently brought about less than a year ago.

**"I'm a Faunus!" The girl clarified needlessly, pointing up towards her ears. Now that he thought of it, he did wonder if that meant she had four sets of ear canals, what must that feel like?**

**"I have eyes, Miss Belladonna." Jaune rolled them to prove his point. As though he couldn't tell what she was when she had done a dramatic reveal like that. But what did it prove? It would be like him tearing his shirt open to prove he was a man. A very scrawny man, but still a man!**

**The girl laughed, almost brokenly as she placed her bow back in place, hiding the incriminating ears from view.**

"It does seem pretty stupid looking back on it," Ruby muttered as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Yeah…honestly, I think it was more the fact that she hid it from us than anything else." Yang muttered glancing at Weiss.

"Who knows." The heiress muttered unwilling to admit that she didn't actually know how she would've behaved if Blake was an open Faunus from the start.

**"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." She sighed, eyes closing. "Someone like you, who was taken on as a teacher so young. Of course, you would realize… you're too perceptive to not have known. I wonder how many others did the same… was my disguise really so pointless?"**

**"Uh… yeah. Sure." He agreed with a nervous laugh, wondering where she had got the idea he had figured it out himself from. Still though, yeah sure, he was a highly perceptive hunter. That was definitely what he was…**

**"There's enmity between humans and Faunus." The girl explained, pausing to drink some tea. "The Schnee family especially has fought with Faunus for years… to discover I am one of them, Weiss was not pleased."**

Jaune scratched his cheek idly as he glanced around the room. "I… always thought you just liked the bow." He admitted causing Team RWBY to sigh as they palmed their faces.

**"Well, that sounds like Weiss' problem as much as yours." Jaune pointed out. "Besides don't the Schnee just hate the White Fang, it's not like you were one of them as well, right?" The girl went silent, though he could see the way her nails tightened on her mug, and how her head drooped. "Right?" He tried again. "You can feel free to deny that now..."**

**"We were different back then…" She attempted, while Jaune could only look to the ceiling for answers. **_**Seriously Remnant? Come on… throw me a freaking bone here!**_

**"Does Ozpin know?" He asked uncertainly. She was his student… but she was also a terrorist, or an ex one… but more than that he dared think she might have been his friend had things been different.**

**He liked her...**

Glynda could only offer a prayer to the Jaune within the book. "Only the gods know what I would've done if Miss Belladonna came to me with these problems." She mused aloud

"Honestly Professor Goodwitch, I think you would've had them fight it out in combat class," Ren noted with a small shrug. The teacher shrugged her shoulders knowing that he was probably right.

**"He does. He let me in regardless." The Faunus answered, making Jaune nod. Well if Ozpin knew and accepted her then it should be fine… he could trust Ozpin to be in contro-…. Okay, he could trust Ozpin to be a responsib-…**

**Well, at least Ozpin knew, right!? That had to count for something!**

**"If Ozpin accepted you, then I'm sure he had the utmost faith in you. It's enough for me too." Jaune comforted, hoping he sounded more confident in his boss than he actually was. In his defense, it was **_**Ozpin**_**...**

Glynda could only sigh "I tell myself that every day." She admitted.

**"It's not as simple as that." The girl laughed, putting down her finished cup with a light clink. "I don't think things will ever be as they were."**

**"You're the only one complicating things Blake." The girl smiled at him, the first true smile he saw from her this day, one he could remember from when they first bumped into one another at the book store. When she had looked pleased of his defense of the Faunus… which made more sense now.**

**"You called me by my name." She said simply. "Thank you, Professor. For your attempt to help me, in the past and here. In hindsight, it seems obvious now how you spoke of helping Faunus who felt discriminated against to me. You were offering your help, should ever I need it. I'm… so sorry I can't keep studying under you."**

**She stood up then, slowly walking from the diner. Jaune let his head fall back, a soft curse slipping from his lips.**

**Failure.**

**You couldn't help everyone… but how he wished he could.**

"Well that escalated quickly," Nora muttered as she wiped her brow. "I thought this was supposed to be a comedy."

"Miss Valkyrie, the only thing separating a comedy from a tragedy is how they end," Glynda stated as she adjusted her glasses once more. "Traditionally, comedic moments were used to alleviate the heaviness dramatic moments caused."

**"I'll keep working on her!" The blonde monkey Faunus promised, darting after her with a quick wave to the abandoned teacher. He supposed it was now on their shoulders… time for the students to fly on their own.**

**It might have been more poetic if he knew how to fly himself… or was even a real teacher.**

**"Sir, are you ready to pay the bill?"**

**Fucking Blake…**

"Wow…" Yang drawled as Blake sank into her chair. "You dine and dashed on Jaune."

"I expect this of Sun… but you Blake?" Weiss shook her head in disapproval.

**Ruby sighed as she trekked through the streets of Vale with her new… **_**friend**_**. It was just like Yang to abandon her when she needed her the most, or whenever it was convenient for her to do so actually. And now she was stuck trying to explain to Penny exactly what the situation was with Blake.**

**She half-wished she had listened to their advice the first time and said they weren't friends… except that she could never be that cruel to an absolute stranger.**

**"So you're angry with your friend because she wouldn't talk to you?"**

"Oh yeah… this is when we first meet Penny." Ruby muttered as she thought about it. "I wonder how she's doing."

Neo looked a little weirded out by Penny's personality as she looked around for answers. "She's… really sheltered." Yang offered as an explanation.

**"Yes, Penny." Ruby sighed for what must have been the tenth time. Explaining to Penny just what friendship meant seemed to be more difficult than she had first thought. "Now we need to find her and talk to her before something bad happens."**

**"I see. I will help you of course friend Ruby."**

**"Thank you, Penny." Sigh number eleven. "But we could really use more people to help us search." Actually, she could really do with Yang and Weiss, though maybe it was better they split up – cover more ground and all that.**

**"What about asking him for help?" The ginger-haired girl asked, pointing towards a nearby diner.**

Blake looked down as Ruby rounded on her with her kicked puppy look. "I'm sorry!" she wailed as Ruby cranked it up to eleven.

**"Penny we can't just ask any random-" Ruby began, only for her silver eyes to widen at the man she saw leaving the diner, his blonde shaggy hair falling across his face. "Professor! **_**Perfect**_** Penny!"**

**He would help her right? It was his job to help with students, and he was a full hunter unlike her. So it was like doubly his job or something.**

**"Professor!" She greeted, appearing before him with her semblance. The man leapt back slightly, no doubt caught off-guard by her sudden appearance. Sue her, she was worried for Blake! Enough in fact that she didn't even feel the slightest bit nervous talking to the guy she definitely didn't have a crush on. "We need your help!"**

Jaune chuckled at the look on his other's face. "Do I look like that when I'm surprised?" he asked with a small laugh. "I look ridiculous."

"It's not quite that comical," Ren assured him with a small smile.

**The Professor in question looked down on her, blinking once, before looking to the sky.**

**"Why do you do this to me!?" He asked towards the clouds, making Ruby cock her head and look towards Penny. The ginger-haired girl shrugged back. "Sorry about that, of course, I'll help. I'd be **_**thrilled**_** to help you."**

**"You would? Oh, I knew you would Professor, thank you!" She gushed, rushing forward to wrap her arms around him. The man only seemed to sigh louder at that, muttering something about unfairness. "It's Blake." She explained.**

"Talk about timing," Weiss muttered as the others all made sounds of agreement.

**"She's a Faunus - and she was in the White Fang and didn't tell you all, correct?" He cut in, making her gasp in shock. He had figured it out too!? Was it that obvious? Or was he just using his super hunter powers of deduction to figure it out almost instantly?**

**That was amazing!**

**"Yes! Yes, that's it, we're trying to find her so we can talk with her. Please help us!" She clasped her hands together as she said it, doing her best to turn on the water-works which she knew usually worked with Yang. Not that she ever admitted she did it on purpose.**

**No way, that would be totally manipulative right?**

**"Alright, alright… I already said I would." The Professor surrendered, causing Ruby to cheer up instantly. **_**Heh, always works!**_

Yang snorted "Super hunter powers of deduction." She quoted causing Blake to chuckle as Ruby blushed.

"Yang!" she whined, "How is my other supposed to know that he bumped into Blake and learned all that?"

"I didn't know Miss Rose was so manipulative." Glynda mused as she rubbed her chin.

"Eh heh, heh." Ruby chuckled nervously as Weiss raised an eyebrow at her.

**"Ruby, I don't understand, is this man your friend too? Is he your boyfriend?"**

**"Wha! Penny no!" Ruby gasped, cheeks blazing as she shook her head in the negative. "He's my professor!" They hadn't even gone on a single date yet, or even held hands, or kissed! Or even really given him the slightest idea that she was interested now that she thought about it…**

**"So he's not your friend?"**

**"Ugh… Jaune this is Penny. Penny this is Jaune." She introduced instead of answering, walking onwards and trusting the two to follow, if he wanted to try and understand what she was talking about, then more power to him. He was a counselor, this was what he did, right? Fix people who were very obviously broken.**

**And Penny had more than a few screws loose.**

"That is a rude thing to say about someone Ruby." Pyrrha scolded her as Neo made a wagging motion with her finger.

"I'm sorry." Ruby apologized as she looked away from the champion.

**"I am her Professor at Beacon," Jaune explained as the two walked behind her. "Despite that, we're still friends I believe."**

**Ruby nodded, making a sound of agreement so that they could hear it. She didn't turn around to face them though, hoping to keep the victorious smile on her face hidden. Damn right they were still friends, just because he was a teacher didn't invalidate that friend-making process they had gone through.**

**She had even shown him her weapon. That made it official.**

More than a few brows were raised as attention quickly shifted to Yang, well known to be the mother figure for Ruby after Summer Rose passed away. "What? How is any of that my fault?" the blonde asked looking around.

**Plus, him seeing her as a friend was one step away from him just treating her like a student. Which meant it would be one step closer when she could figure out how to make him see her as a woman! There would need to be much milk-drinking when they returned to Beacon. She had to grow quickly!**

**"I see…" The girl trailed off, making it fairly clear that she did not see. "Can you explain then Mr. Professor Jaune Sir, why Blake and her team are having this altercation?"**

**Oh, come on… hadn't she already explained it like super-well already!? And what was with that weirdly long title?**

"What is with that long title?" Blake questioned as she looked up in thought.

"Isn't it just because Penny is weird?" Yang suggested causing Blake to shrug her shoulders. "More importantly." She leered at her little sister. "Trying to make him see you as a woman huh?" she asked teasingly as Ruby retreated into her hood with a loud "Eep!"

**"It's quite simple I suppose. The Schnee family and the Faunus are bitter enemies, and Blake revealed that she was a Faunus all along – causing immediate tension in the team. That she also once worked with the White Fang only made it worse."**

**"But Weiss and Blake were friends before," Penny explained. "How could they now not be friends? Weiss liked Blake, and Blake was no less a Faunus with a bow on."**

**"It was because she never told us." Ruby piped up, eyes dropping to the floor. "Weiss feels like Blake lied to her, by tricking her into liking her and then revealing what she is. It probably wouldn't have even been a problem if Weiss knew in advance."**

"Maybe…" Weiss hedged still not sure

"There's no way any sane Faunus would take that chance upon first meeting you." Blake pointed out simply.

**Ruby still believed it was shock more than anything, that made Weiss react as she did. If she truly hated Faunus as much as Blake claimed, then she wouldn't have been so angry at seeing Cardin belittle Velvet. Weiss hadn't been cackling evilly then…**

**"I don't understand why Blake would keep such a secret then," Penny explained. "If she knew it was going to be revealed in time, why not do so immediately?"**

**"It's not always that simple though." The Professor sighed. "Sometimes the secret is too large, sometimes it's big enough that you know no one would ever forgive you if it was revealed. After a while, you get so used to keeping it. So used to lying, that you start to believe it's true yourself. Blake might not have realized she was even keeping it anymore… the bow had become more a part of her than her ears ever were."**

"There's a certain amount of irony about lies and pretending to be something you're not in there…" Glynda mentioned looking at Jaune who bashfully looked away.

**"That's sad." Ruby sighed, turning to face the two of them. "I don't understand how you could live like that though, or how Blake could… if you don't tell the truth when you meet someone if you just pretend. Then how can you even make friends with people? If I pretended to be someone else, then I wouldn't be Ruby."**

**She didn't want to think that of Blake though… didn't want to imagine that it had all been a lie, some fake persona she had put on to distract them from the truth. She didn't want to think that one of her precious friends wasn't a friend at all.**

**"It's… not always that easy." The Professor started, before looking away with a frustrated sigh.**

**"I have secrets Ruby," Penny whispered emptily. "Will you stop being my friend?"**

**"No!" Ruby shot back, holding her hands out to ward off a sudden explosion of tears. Or worse, endless questions. "No, it's not like that Penny. It's… it's hard to explain."**

"It really is," Blake muttered ruefully as she rubbed her arms a bit.

**Thankfully her favorite Professor came to her rescue, resting one hand on Penny's hair and ruffling it, as the girl looked up to him confusedly.**

**"You shouldn't try to understand friendship, Penny." He explained with a light laugh. "It's not something you can put into simple definitions and categories. It's simply something that is."**

**"Something that is?" The girl parroted, looking up at the older man. "I see… I think then… I think you're my friend too Mr. Professor Jaune. Am I right?"**

Pyrrha shot her partner an amused look to which he stuck his tongue out. Neo, who was still sitting on Pyrrha's lap nestled herself further into the champion's grasp finding an odd sot of comfort in the taller girl's arms. Lazily she wrote on her sign. "I could get used to this."

**In her defense, Ruby tried to deliver to him the warning she had ignored just earlier that day, waving her arms in a no motion from behind the girl. The Professor watched her uncertainly, his answer to the overly-friendly girl dragging out as Ruby urged him to save himself and just say n-**

**"Sure?"**

**You know what? Screw it, she tried. It would be nice to have someone to suffer alongside her.**

**"Sensat-! No. Double sensational! Two friends in one day! I am, as they say, on a roll!"**

_**Good luck Professor… you'll need it.**_

Everyone in the room laughed at that "Well Penny's a nice girl…" Ruby offered weakly.

"Just... has a few screws loose," Yang added in with a roll of her eyes.

**"I don't think this is working friends." Penny was the first to speak as darkness began to settle over Vale. Giving voice to the cynical thoughts they were each no doubt harboring. Ruby didn't want to admit them, didn't want to admit that they might have failed.**

**Even now she begged for her scroll to go off, to alert her to the fact that Yang had come through and found her; that everything was absolutely fine and Blake was back in their room eating tuna and reading porn.**

**That things were normal.**

**Even if normal meant Yang and Blake were making out somewhere.**

**As long as it wasn't her bed, ewwww!**

Both Blake and Yang grumbled a bit still sore about that particular joke.

**"We might need to call this off Ruby…" The older male sighed, making her shake her head angrily.**

**"No, we can't!" She complained. It was bad enough Blake being missing during the day, but the idea of it being dark and Blake not returning was one she couldn't accept. Where would she sleep? What would she eat!?**

**"We're not going to be able to find her in the darkness Ruby." The man explained. "She's too quick, not to mention she clearly doesn't want to be found."**

**"We just need a sign." Ruby urged, half-begging to any powers above.**

"I didn't know you were such a mother hen, Ruby." Jaune teased causing Ruby to blush as she pulled her hood over her head.

"Should we call her big-mama?" Blake asked looking at Yang with a small smirk on her face.

"Wouldn't it be more like little-mama?" Yang asked fully on board with teasing her little sister.

**"Ruby…" He sighed again. "We're not just going to get some kind of `here I am, come find me` sort of event. What are you even expecting, an explo-"**

**Their conversation was interrupted by a loud explosion, even as the three of them turned to look at a thick plume of black smoke coming from the docks.**

**"That is an explosion." Penny pointed out needlessly.**

**"More like deus ex machina," the Professor mumbled.**

**"There's a fight at the docks!" She gasped. It had to be Blake, it just **_**had**_** to be! She didn't know why, or what she could be doing – but she'd asked for a sign and this had been delivered, so that made it fate, right? "Let's get over there!"**

"Miss Rose…" Glynda trailed off as she sighed tiredly. "Haven't we taught you not to run into unknown situations like that?"

"But…" Ruby trailed off as the teachers raised an eyebrow. "Yes, professor." She muttered in defeat.

**"Whoah." The Professor slowed her, grabbing hold of her hood so that she fell back onto her rear. Ruby pouted angrily up at the man, crush or no. He wasn't meant to pull Yang moves on her like that! "We can't just rush in there, if there is a fight then it's going to be too dangerous for you."**

**"Blake might be in trouble though!" Ruby argued. Couldn't he understand that? "I'm sure it's Blake!"**

**"With all the trouble your team causes, I'm fairly sure it's Blake too." He shot back, rubbing a hand on his forehead. "But the point is only criminals are going to be fighting her at this time of the night, you're not ready for that. I'll call for backup from Beacon. Let the teachers handle it from here."**

The more sensible members of the audience all nodded their heads in agreement. "He has the right idea," Ren noted causing Ruby to grumble. "At this time you don't know who Blake could be fighting the best thing to do is call for backup."

"But what if it's someone she can't handle?" Ruby asked challengingly.

"Than what difference would you make?" Jaune asked looking a little guilty for raining on her parade.

"I can provide backup! Or support! Or even just get her out!"

"At the risk of yourself and not even for a guaranteed better result" Glynda cut in as she sighed. "You are students." She stated, looking around. "You haven't even begun to learn team tactics or how to defend yourself against a superior enemy. You don't have the experience necessary to be allowed to fight against thinking enemies outside of tournament rules."

"Then what was I supposed to do?" Ruby whispered angrily.

"Call for backup and take a sniping position," Glynda explained simply. "Provide covering fire from as far as you can be. Always have an open communications channel with your team. Guide Miss Belladonna to safety from your vantage point and continue to cover their retreat while backup arrives." She sighed once more. "Teamwork is far more than just combination attacks Miss Rose."

**"Backup!?" Ruby exclaimed, climbing to her feet and yanking her hood from his fingers. "It's not the job of hunters to call for backup when someone is in trouble! We have to get there and help her!"**

**"You're not hunters!" He shouted back, raising his voice to meet her own. She recoiled at the words, their meaning striking her far worse that he likely thought it would. "Not yet anyway. Stay here. I'll get back up."**

_**He's worried about me.**_** She realized… perhaps that thought should have pleased her… in any other scenario, it would have. Might have made her stomach feel funny, and her head swim dizzily. But all it did now was ignite a flame of frustration within her.**

After that whole debate, they just went through no one could really say anything as the book-Ruby went over things they just talked about without the benefit of advice from Glynda.

**He wanted to look after her. She could understand that. It was his job, what he was meant to do. But she was a team leader, and she had responsibilities too. And those didn't include letting her team-mate face things alone.**

**"I'm sorry Professor." She spoke, causing him to glance up from his scroll in confusion.**

**She caught him off-guard. She knew in any other situation she wouldn't have had a chance, but with her semblance and his complete lack of attention to her, she was able to barrel into him, knocking him to the floor. She did her best not to notice the betrayed look on his face or the guilt it caused inside her. He was just trying to protect her.**

**"I'll save Blake!" She promised as she shot away, Penny following after her.**

**She tried to ignore him shout her name angrily.**

Weiss just palmed her face while Glynda sent Ruby a baleful glare. "Nice going, Ruby."

**"Ruby!" He shouted out angrily after her, one hand reaching out uselessly from his position on the hard paving slabs. The two vanished quickly, however, rushing towards the docks with reckless abandon.**

**They would be killed. They were just children… teenagers beginning to learn to become something more. Damn it, he was no better! A teenager pretending to be something more. There was nothing he could do to help them, in fact, he was weaker than any of them.**

**He couldn't even stop her from going. Too weak, too slow… too distracted.**

**Damn it.**

**Team RWBY was falling to pieces. First Blake, one he hadn't been able to sway with words. And now Ruby, who had rushed off into a danger she knew nothing about. Swords and scythes didn't cause explosions like that… there was serious danger going on over there.**

**He shouldn't intervene.**

**What use would he be even if he did?**

"And not the crux of the matter," Ren noted as he leaned forward keen to learn how this version of his leader would act.

Nora leaned in as well, more to copy Ren than anything thing else.

**He would already need to explain come the morning what had happened with Blake, how she had withdrawn from Beacon and fled… he might even need to explain that to her team. Tell Weiss and Yang how she had given up on their friendship.**

**He imagined telling them that Ruby had died as well.**

**He couldn't imagine it.**

**Wouldn't.**

**"Jaune?" Glynda answered his call, even as his feet dragged him to his feet and towards his destination. "What's wrong?"**

"It sounds like this cements his position in Beacon," Pyrrha noted happily thankful to note that Jaune wouldn't be forced to leave anytime soon.

**"There's an attack on the docks, explosions. Ruby Rose went in without backup, or even knowing the situation." He could hear the gasp coming from the stern woman, could understand her fear. He felt it just as keenly. She was **_**his**_** student. One of his special students.**

**"I'll be there in ten minutes." She promised, and he could already hear her slamming a door behind her. "I'll be there personally!"**

**"I'll be going on ahead." He whispered back, wondering if it would be the last words he spoke to his colleague. He knew he wouldn't be of any real use in a fight like this.**

**"Good luck." She replied as the call ended.**

**Luck… he would need that, wouldn't he? Or a miracle.**

Glynda shivered. "I hate those words." She muttered no doubt recalling tragedies long past.

Blake nodded in agreement. "They always spark a surge of fear in you." She explained to her teammates as Neo took a deep calming breath.

**Ruby climbed the last rung of the ladder onto the roof of the warehouse, rushing across it with Penny in tow. She wasn't as reckless as her Professor probably thought she was… not after her uncle had finished training her. Sure she could have rushed in there without a plan, but this would give her a chance to scope out the area from a safe spot **_**and**_** give her the advantage of high ground – not to mention a good firing angle.**

**Why could no one realize she wasn't a child? Just because she was two years younger didn't mean she had no idea what she was doing!**

**It was just as she'd feared though… with smoke billowing about she could see the blonde Faunus guy from earlier, fighting a bunch of guys in uniform. And of course, she could make out the distinctive form of Torchwick in his bright white coat. Fighting in melee with Blake.**

_**Damn it, Blake, you're meant to be the smart one, aren't you?**_

"At least you're not completely insane," Weiss noted with a small huff.

Likewise Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank the gods this me also studied under Uncle Qrow."

**He was clearly older than them and judging from the way he was knocking her about with his cane he wasn't having too much trouble with her. Even with Blake using her semblance to try and distract him.**

**"Hey!" She shouted out, hoping to distract Torchwick before he could hurt one of them.**

**"Hey Red." He shouted back as Blake fled away from the gunfire. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"**

"Oh…I hate him." Ruby groused as she recalled all of the man's taunts." Neo stuck her tongue out at her in response.

**"Are these your friends?" Penny asked, drawing Ruby's attention as she tried to warn her new friend back, lest she be in danger. It was at that moment, when Penny's eyes widened, that Ruby realized exactly what she had done.**

**Qrow would have had her head – taking her eyes off the enemy. How could she claim to be an adult, if she made stupid decisions like that? She saw Penny's mouth open, heard the tell-tale sound of a rifle of some sort discharging.**

**Prayed that her aura would be enough to deflect it, even as her silver eyes turned back to see something red and angry shooting towards her. She could have dodged it… should have, but in that moment of panic, her brain failed her.**

"Also things we'll have to work on." Glynda jotted down as she pulled out her tablet.

**"Move!" A voice shouted angrily, even as she was thrown to the side by something slamming into her. As she stumbled, her legs finally decided to respond to her commands, she caught sight of her Professor, before he was engulfed in a wave of fire.**

**"Jaune!" She screamed, realizing he had taken the blast for her. Saved her. She didn't even consider that he might have died – didn't have time to really. Almost as soon as he was struck, the night-time breeze blew the smoke away. Revealing him to still be standing, albeit that he was leaning heavily on one leg, his clothing blackened on one side.**

**He was alive though, and at that moment that was all that mattered to her.**

Pyrrha clenched her hands tightly as her entire body tensed up causing Neo to startle. "Jaune." She whispered softly

**"You stupid idiot." He cursed, angry blue eyes zeroing in on her as she felt the desire to shrink into herself. That gaze… reminded her so much of Qrow, during his angry moments. They had all been for her safety too… "Didn't you even **_**think**_** what would have happened to us if you were hurt? Did you not even care what your sister might feel? What your friends might?"**

**"I'm sorry! I had to save Blake though!" She tried to defend herself, tears stinging at her eyes. Besides the two of them, Penny leapt from the roof, angrily shouting that no one would hurt her friends. Ruby didn't see any of it though, unable to look away from the injured man looking at her – when he looked to be in so much pain. Emotionally as well as physically. "I'm sorry." She tried once more.**

**"You know, this is really heart-warming." That hated voice interrupted, even as Roman leapt from a Bullhead so that he was stood on the rooftop with the two of them, cane swirling lazily in one hand. "Mind if I interrupt?"**

"Roman…" Glynda scowled in manner that implied far more personal anger than was usually warranted for criminals.

Neo saw her anger and wrote up a question. "Past?" it read simply.

"Did you know that he went to Beacon?" Glynda asked instead. Getting gasps of surprise from everyone in the room, even Neo. "He was on Bartholomew Oobleck's team." The Beacon students shifted uncomfortably as Glynda continued. "Long story short, there are two reasons I despise Roman Torchwick." She took a deep breath as she recalled her own past. "One is that he abandoned his duties as a Hunter of Vale after a failed mission, and the other is that he stole my underwear and sold it for profit!"

Neo's expression set itself to neutral as she took in this information.

"Really…" Yang asked as she made a disgusted face.

"Scum…" Weiss trailed off as she looked away.

"Lower than scum." Blake agreed.

Ruby looked at Neo. "I'll buy you a Gallon of ice cream if you use those boots of yours to kick him in the nuts." Neo looked at her in surprise but nodded her head.

**"Get back!" She ordered, leaping in front of the injured Professor and slamming her scythe blade first into the ground. She didn't feel confident about her chances, but he had gotten hurt protecting her. Now it was time to repay the favor.**

**"Oh hi, Red. Nice job there by the way. Really impressed me." She grit her teeth at his taunts, knowing she deserved the scorn. "And you must be the new teacher I've heard about at Beacon eh? Are you really meant to be watching over them on weekends though? Seems like someone takes their responsibilities a little too seriously."**

**Oh, Gods… the teachers at Beacon were fairly famous, weren't they? The kind of famous that could make them targets for criminals, especially if they were already injured trying to protect stupid and idiotic students like her.**

"Going back to the story…" Jaune edged in carefully "I wonder how this ends since you know… Roman and I apparently know each other.

"Are you sure you want to remind them about that?" Ren asked nervously as he glanced around the room.

"We need to move this along don't we?" Jaune replied back looking around to see if anyone was going to turn their fury onto him.

**"Mind if we have a private conference Professor?"**

**"Like I'll let you!" She cried out.**

**"Ruby. Help Blake." Her Professor ordered, causing her to freeze. She didn't look behind her though, she had learned that lesson. "Blake needs your help with the thugs, leave Torchwick to me."**

**"You're inju-" She tried, only to be interrupted as he shouted.**

**"Obey at least **_**one**_** order Miss Rose! Get down there!"**

"Way to guilt-trip a girl Jaune," Yang muttered managing to calm herself down from her anger at what Glynda had revealed to them.

"If it gets her out of harm's way," Jaune muttered with a grimace not liking it either.

**She grit her teeth. Obey… follow his orders, and leave him to Torchwick when he was injured? Those weren't fair orders at all! She could fight beside him, could be of use to him… and he would just throw her away like that?**

**"Go on Red." Torchwick urged with a laugh. "Mummy and daddy are speaking."**

**"Get Blake out." Jaune urged. "Trust in me a little, eh? I'm a hunter for a reason."**

**Trust in him? She cried out in anger as she leapt from the roof, even as tears stung her eyes. She would trust in him. Like she had her mother so long ago… but if he let her down as Summer had…**

**She wasn't sure how she would cope.**

"That…" Weiss gulped as she realized what that meant. "That was heavy." She admitted after a breath.

"Yeah…" Yang trailed off unsure how to continue.

"Oh! Side storytime!" Nora cheered thankful for something to uplift the mood.

**OMAKE:**

**Jaune sighed as he placed another marked homework sheet into the done pile, picking up another from the remainder as he looked at the almost illegible scrawl across the pages. Who the Hell wrote with such crappy hand-writing!?**

**Yang… of fucking course…**

**"Thank you for agreeing to help me with this Jaune," Glynda spoke from across the desk, the two of them awake long after others had gone to bed. Marking papers wasn't something he would normally have signed up for, but he really did owe her a favor for the work she did at Beacon.**

Glynda shot Yang an unamused look. "Please work on your handwriting Miss Xiao-Long." She urged. "I would hate to have to ask Professor Oobleck to tutor you."

Yang laughed nervously as she promised to get better.

**"No problem." He offered back, taking a sip of coffee for some blessed caffeine. "Why the rush for this stuff though? It's not like you to leave it so late." This had to be returned to the students tomorrow, hence their rush.**

**Hmm… maybe Yang would just get a B. Saved him actually having to try and decipher it. He marked it so, hoping Glynda didn't notice.**

**"Normally I would have had it done by now, but Ozpin was causing his usual problems." The woman sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. "He was trying to assign 10% of our budget to send our chefs to a barista school."**

**Jaune laughed at the thought. Honestly half of what Glynda did at the school seemed to be cleaning up after Ozpin's mistakes.**

"Ah, that… sounds like something the Headmaster would do." Jaune muttered, worried that Ozpin actually did do something that stupid.

"Don't worry I stopped him." Glynda sighed tiredly. "Honestly that man is such a child at times." She muttered as she rubbed her eyes.

**"You know… I've always wondered why you aren't the Headmistress." He admitted, getting a surprised expression from her. "I mean you're much more focused and efficient, and honestly Ozpin only ever seems half-interested in teaching anyway."**

**The woman blushed at the praise, looking away from him for a moment to cough.**

**"Honestly the position never appealed to me. Not like it did Ozpin… this position was his goal for quite some time."**

**"Really?" Jaune asked, not having expected that of the man. "Do you mind telling me how he became Headmaster? If it's not too much trouble, I mean."**

**The woman paused, placing her pen down on the table.**

**"I suppose we could both use a break… let's see… it was at least fourteen years ago…"**

"I often wonder how he became headmaster," Pyrrha admitted sheepishly as she shot Glynda an apologetic look. "He's not the most professional of people."

"No…it's…he used to be worse and despite appearances, he does take things seriously." She informed them

**Twenty-three-year-old Glynda Goodwitch walked down the corridors of Beacon with her teammates Ozpin and James, the three of them angrily making their way away from the main auditorium.**

**"Those old fossils." James Ironwood cursed. "I don't know how they believed forcing the Faunus into menagerie would be successful – all they did was fan the flames of war with their stupidity."**

**"The Council did have popular support." Glynda pointed out, despite agreeing with his words wholeheartedly. "Beyond that, they had the support of the Beacon faculty. There's political power to be had in the ones who train the hunters in Vale."**

"Wow you were a lot different back then," Yang muttered comparing the Glynda of the past with the one sitting in the same room as her.

"Yes well, age changes all things." Glynda huffed, well aware that both her personality and her appearance were markedly different from her time as a student.

**"It is because they are fools," Ozpin spoke, looking away from them out of a window. "The Professors here will be the first to lose their positions in the upcoming fallout. I would not be surprised if the Councilors lost their seats too."**

**"Careful Oz," James warned. "Those Professors still have power enough to make your life difficult. They could sabotage your chances of applying for work now that we've graduated."**

**"Especially if they hear you mouthing off like that," Glynda added. The Professors were just bitter enough to try and take them down as well… she hated them as much as the other two did.**

**"That is a foolish suggestion," Ozpin replied. "For I will become the new Headmaster of Beacon. I shall replace them."**

"Wow was Professor Ozpin really like that?" Ruby asked in surprise as she looked at her teacher.

"Yes, always announcing his plans just before he enacts them throwing us all for a loop as we tried to keep up with him." Glynda sighed both in exhaustion and exasperation.

**The three of them went silent at that sudden proclamation, James turning to look towards her as if to ask if she had known that dream. Glynda shrugged her shoulders in reply.**

**"That sounds like a terrifyingly bad idea." She replied instead, imagining how bad he would be at the job. He could barely even handle leading their team, and half the time it felt like she was doing it anyway…**

**"I have to agree with Glynda there Oz." Ironwood laughed. "Why do you even want the position? It just sounds like hard work."**

**Ozpin didn't face them. Instead, looking down at the students milling around outside. First years she believed, still so fresh and open to new ideas.**

"I'm amazed General Ironwood was anything like that at all in the past," Weiss admitted having seen the man enough times to form an opinion of him.

"He's…different now," Glynda admitted though she didn't delve into what she thought of those differences.

**"There is responsibility in this position, yes." Ozpin began suddenly, drawing their gaze. "He who rules Beacon shapes the future of all hunters in Vale… for better or for worse, they hold the future of the Kingdom in their hands. It is a grave responsibility, and yet what lessons they impart will live on forever. Decisions I make would last for generations."**

**Glynda watched her leader, stirred by his words, and the promise within them. Did he truly think the position so powerful? Perhaps he was right… and if he truly believed it so important to their survival? Perhaps she could help him…**

**"And with that power…" He continued, turning to face them with one fist held high. "I would make it so that all huntresses wear…. Combat miniskirts!"**

The room was silent as Glynda allowed her face to fall into the palms of her hands. Nora elbowed Ren who looked deep in thought. While Pyrrha pinched Jaune's side.

"Did… he really try that?" Blake asked almost nervously. Glynda's groan did nothing to alleviate their fears.

**There was dead silence in the hallway at that proclamation, even as Glynda let her face fall into her hands.**

**"Ozpin." She began. "That is the most-"**

**"Genius idea I have ever heard!" Ironwood shouted, rushing forward to take Ozpin's hand. "You're an inspiration to us all! I'll follow you to the ends of Remnant!"**

**"It's lunacy!" Glynda exploded, smacking James over the head so hard his feet collapsed beneath him. "It's also complete harassment! Not to mention pointless!"**

Weiss felt her image of James Ironwood shatter into a million pieces as tears fell from her eyes. "Winter has to know." She whispered softly now deeply concerned about her elder sister.

**"Pointless?" Ozpin crowed. "Combat miniskirts allow complete freedom of movement."**

**"No chances of clothing getting snagged on things." James cut in, black eye forming.**

**"Are cheap to maintain."**

**"And improve morale!"**

**Glynda watched the two of them evilly. She might have been more accepting of their arguments if it wasn't for the trails of blood dripping from their noses.**

**"Wait, would Glynda have to wear one too?" James suddenly asked, causing her to grip angrily onto her baggy trousers.**

**"But of course!" Ozpin declared.**

As one the eyes of the students plus Neo drifted over to Glynda who was wearing her usual outfit. "Compromise?" Neo's sign read causing Glynda to sigh once more.

**"You have my loyalty forever!" Ironwood screamed, falling to his knees and rubbing his face onto Ozpin's leg like a faithful dog. Ozpin simply nodded his agreement, staring off into the middle-distance.**

**"I'll die before I let you perverts force me into a skirt!" Glynda screamed out, smashing one fist into the top of each of their heads.**

**"And soon after he went on to become Headmaster." Glynda sighed, pushing her glasses further up her nose.**

**"Riiight," Jaune mumbled, blue eyes inconspicuously looking down beneath the table, at his colleague's legs, and the skirt they came from. As his eyes trailed back up her form, he froze at her angry green orbs meeting his.**

**"Not…. One… word."**

Glynda sighed "One word of this gets out…" she trailed off leaving the threat hanging in the air.

* * *

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Next chapter Sept 16


	11. Reading chapter 11

Glynda hummed thoughtfully as she processed this other story the students, plus Neo, were reading. "I can see why the students would find it dull." She admitted at length. "I must admit, I believe the author of that story takes too long to get to the point."

"Right?" Weiss screamed in agreement as the others nodded far more mutely than the irate heiress. "You can barely call that literature!"

"Let's not go too far now." Pyrrha urged as Fox's face began to twitch.

**Jaune ducked beneath the metal cane, feeling it whistling by overhead. His own counter-attack was easily thwarted, the criminal before him batting the blade aside by rapping his hand on the flat of Crocea Mors. A move only really made safe by the virtue of having an aura that would prevent any serious damage. It was a trick he would need to remember, and a sign of Roman's experience.**

**Any further thoughts were lost however as the orange-haired man lunged forwards, wielding his cane like a rapier as he laid three rapid blows out against Jaune's body – his shield covering his head to block that one, but the other two solidly striking his rubs and his thigh.**

"Is it me or is Roman more skilled in this story than in reality?" Ruby asked glancing at Neo.

The girl shrugged her shoulders. Glynda sighed "This is closer to how I remember Roman being." She admitted getting nods from her students as Neo tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.

**"You shield the face and you lose vision." Roman tutted, going for the same move again – though this time Jaune put Neo's lessons to the test, spinning to dodge beyond the strike. "Better kid. You can't afford to lose sight of me."**

**"Are we fighting or talking?" Jaune gritted back.**

**"Which would you prefer?"**

**"Talking… definitely the talking."**

"Roman…is way nicer in this," Yang noted recalling what everyone else told her about the man.

"Because he has invested interest in Jaune getting better." Weiss pointed out as she watched the action carefully.

**"Then maybe you should have thought of that…" Roman began, before suddenly being inside his guard, knocking both his sword and shield aside - driving a fist into Jaune's gut. "-before you came and botched up my operation here!"**

**"In… my defense…" Jaune coughed, pushing himself to his feet. Neo had taught him the importance of always getting back into your guard position – no matter how much it hurt. "I only came to protect my students."**

**"Oh, I gathered that. What were those words? `Trust me, I'm a hunter` pfft. You do remember that you're not, right?"**

"Yes, the hole does seem to be getting deeper," Blake muttered as she rubbed her chin.

"Indeed." Ren echoed her sentiments with a single nod of his head.

"That's what makes this fun though right?" Nora cheered as she playfully slapped the back of her leader who merely groaned softly as he rubbed his now bruised back.

**"I know that. But I'm a teacher now, I can't just abandon them – people would ask questions. I'd be screwed."**

**"Maybe you should have thought of that before you took the job kiddo."**

**"I had no choice! They wouldn't take me on as a student, it was **_**your**_** records that were too good, made me sound too powerful."**

**"You always had a choice. You just chose the easiest one. You made a deal with the devil, and the funny thing is… he always comes by to collect. Not to mention, it was you who wanted to look like the best – you didn't think the lies through properly."**

"Let this be a lesson then." Glynda intoned seriously as her eyes swept across her students. "There is always a choice, even if you cannot see it yet."

"Understood professor." Weiss accepted as her friends gave their own affirmations.

_**And you let me make that mistake.**_** Jaune thought but didn't bother saying out loud. To suggest that Roman had thought that far ahead… was that the truth, or was the clever bastard just playing with his mind? Either way, there was no denying those words. He'd been a damn idiot when he had asked for that, he'd wanted to stand out – forgetting about what happened to those that did.**

**"So what happens now?" Jaune asked, nodding his head towards their surroundings. "We both know you could kick my ass at any moment, what's stopping you?"**

**"Not bad, kid. Looks like you're starting to learn something after all. The robbery is borked, with all this ruckus no doubt the police are already on their way – along with whatever help you called in. I have to retreat with my tail between my legs."**

"Awfully cavalier about it," Pyrrha muttered wondering what was going on in the criminal's mind.

"I'm sure it's something we'll all detest," Jaune muttered with a wry smile. Neo shot him a look. "Almost all of us." Jaune amended simply.

**"So… you going to go now?" Jaune tried, hoping his voice didn't sound as hopeful as he thought it did.**

**"Thing is…" Roman began, walking back and forth while spinning his cane, as though discussing something as mundane as the weather. "My rep is going to take a real blow from this, and the boss-lady is also going to be on my case. I mean losing to a bunch of teenage students? That looks really bad."**

**Jaune didn't say anything. Roman effectively had him by the balls – able to sell out his secret at any given time if he wanted to. It would bring everything crashing down on him. He would be finished…**

"I can see what he means," Blake muttered as she waited for things to reveal themselves. "The White Fang needed to keep their reputations as high as they could among the Faunus populations… even if that meant lying or falsifying information.

Weiss made a face, hating whenever the White Fang was brought up in conversation. "Come on Weiss, it looks like we'll have to deal with them sooner or later anyway might as well get over whatever animosity you have so you can focus properly." Yang chided the smaller girl while pulling her into a hug.

"Unhand me, Yang." Weiss barked out without any heat in her voice. "I'm well aware that our paths will cross once more."

**"I won't let you hurt them. Even if it means I have to die – I can delay you long enough for the police to arrive."**

**Jaune desperately hoped he would roll a natural forty-million on his bluff roll.**

**"Cute, kid. I thought I said before that school students aren't really my thing? Killing them would just paint an even bigger target on me, and I still wouldn't have the dust, would I? Plus, you already owe me a favor – so I don't want you cut down either. Nah, see… I've got an idea on how both you and I can get out of this smelling like roses…. Interested?"**

Glynda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she inferred what Roman intended to do. "I wonder if we will get to see Tsune in this."

"Tsune?" the students wondered looking at their teacher in confusion.

"The school nurse," Glynda revealed with a blank look. "Considering your track records I'm surprised none of you have met her before." There was a bout of nervous chuckling as the two first-year teams recalled Velvet warning them to never go to the nurse's office.

**"I guess?" Jaune nervously agreed. Both of them coming out of the situation definitely sounded good to him – especially if it meant he didn't have to actually fight Roman seriously… sure he had learned how to dodge more effectively from Neo, but Roman had years of experience…**

**"Perfect!" Roman laughed, posing so that he was now leaning on his cane, one leg crossed behind the other. "You see, a bunch of kids forcing me to flee is bad for my rep – and that's a big deal in my kind of industry. But being chased off by a trained hunter isn't so bad. But what's **_**better**_** is me kicking the crap out of said trained hunter, before cutting my losses and escaping. See what I mean?"**

**"Yeah, I get what you mean… but where are you going to find a trained hunter..." Jaune's eyes closed as he let out a long sigh, catching on to Roman's meaning. "Oh... I suddenly don't like this plan."**

Jaune winced in phantom pain as he rubbed his arms. "Yeah… not liking this plan at all." He muttered as Pyrrha patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

**"Don't worry so much." Roman laughed, kicking his cane upwards so that he was now wielding it like a sword. The grin on the man's face was now just on the wrong side of vicious. "Just… do what comes naturally."**

_**Damn it, Roman…**_

Ruby puffed up her cheeks as she regarded the smiling criminal with the closest thing to disdain he could get to. "Honestly Ruby, I know that's your 'I hate you' face but you look like you're pouting about someone eating your cookies." Weiss pointed out causing the others to laugh as Ruby's face turned an interesting shade of red.

**It was a difficult thing for Blake to fully understand.**

**That moment, when she had heard Ruby shout out – when she had seen Roman attempt to kill her leader. Perhaps that had been the defining moment when in her own mind, she acknowledged that Ruby was still **_**her**_** leader. Her team leader – one she was willing to follow.**

**There had been no hesitation when Ruby landed beside her. No questions or denials, nor even apologies. One moment she had been fighting alone, trying to work her way towards Sun. The next she had pressed her back to Ruby's, taking comfort in that familiar presence.**

Blake and Ruby shared a smile as they slapped hands before Yang pulled them both into a headlock "Aw you two look so cute like that." The blonde chirped causing both girls to roll their eyes in exasperation.

**The White Fang members that were left, those who were not cut down by that… girl, they did not put up much of a fight against them. Even with Ruby and her aiming to disarm where they could – they were rank amateurs, untrained and untested in a way that Adam would have scoffed at.**

**Back when she had fought with them, they would never have dared send people like this out there… the risk would have been too great – both for the recruits, but also for those that might be in danger if one was captured and interrogated.**

**Had they changed so much in the time she had been gone?**

**Or had she simply not been able to accept what was in front of her eyes all along?**

"It's hard to tell when it all started going bad," Blake muttered as she managed to pull away from Yang's grasp.

"Probably when killing someone else became an acceptable course of action," Glynda suggested as Neo rolled her eyes.

Neo took her time wording out her own thought on the matter. Once she was ready she held up her sign which read. "Probably when White Fang leadership started to care more about making a point than bettering the lives of the Faunas they were trying to help."

**"Whoah…" Ruby muttered, drawing Blake's attention to the fight that was wrapping up on the other edge of the docks – just in time to see a great beam of light cut through two Bullheads in a single blast.**

**No way that girl was normal… even Adam's semblance was not that destructive, and that took time to charge up! And speaking of wanted criminals…**

**"Ruby, where did Torchwick go?" The smaller girl shifted at those words.**

**"He told me to leave him to help you. I didn't want to, but I think he wanted me out of the way."**

Yang and Weiss blinked in surprise. "Penny did that?" Weiss asked her partner pointing at the image.

"Yeah, I told you that." Ruby reminded her.

"You told us she brought the bullhead down." Yang corrected. "Not that she completely destroyed it. Or, that she did it to two of them."

"I'm pretty sure she only hit the one in our world." Ruby muttered trying to recall the details of that night which felt so long ago now."

**"Torchwick told you to? Why would you follow his orders?" Blake asked, wondering just what had gotten into the girl. Ruby shook her head quickly, pointing back from the direction she had come from.**

**"Not Torchwick, Jau – Professor Arc, he's fighting him alone."**

**Professor Arc? How did- no… did he follow her? After she had told him she was leaving Beacon? But, that didn't make sense, did it? Surely he would have just let her be, let her leave Beacon… certainly, there was no reason for him to want to help her when she wasn't even a student.**

_**"Considering the discrimination they face… I thought there might be Faunus I could help."**_

"Ah…" Ren mused as he smiled softly. "Looks like another misunderstanding within the story."

"You're actually getting a kick out of this aren't you?" Jaune asked his only male teammate with a grin.

"I like this type of humor when it's done well." The quiet boy admitted.

**Had he meant that so literally? That he would follow after her to try and change her mind, before jumping into the fray when she was in danger? That… it didn't make sense why he would risk himself for her.**

**"He's a trained hunter." Blake reasoned, trying to calm down her beating heart. "He should be fine against someone like Torchwick." No reason to worry about him – clearly he was far stronger than she was… even if Torchwick had beaten her handily. The Professor would be strong enough.**

**"No!" Ruby urged, tugging at Blake's arm. "He's hurt. He took a shot for me and was injured – we have to help him."**

**"Hurt? How badl-"**

"Aw, you're worried about me." Jaune teased causing the two girls to blush slightly before hitting him in the chest. "Ow…"

"You deserved that one." Nora giggled as Pyrrha smiled softly.

**"Ahhhhhhh!" A voice cried out, sounding in the distance before getting close and closer. Blake's eyes widened as she saw a male figure crash into an SDC storage container, denting the side of it before sliding down to the floor.**

_**Pretty badly.**_** Her brain commented, even as both she and Ruby rushed over to the fallen teacher.**

**"Well, that's all for me!" That hated voice called out, just about visible atop the roof as he waved towards them. "Thanks for the help Red. Would have been **_**real**_** difficult without you chipping in."**

"Low blow man." Yang frowned as the Ruby in the book looked distraught over Jaune's injuries being her fault.

"He _is_ a criminal." Blake reminded her simply.

_**I could still chase him…**_** She thought to herself… it would be difficult – already the Bullhead was pulling away, but he must have had a base somewhere within Vale, so if she could just figure out the rough area where it landed. But that would mean leaving the Professor when he was injured.**

**After he had gotten injured trying to find her.**

**"Jaune? Jaune are you okay?" Ruby asked, prodding the man gently as he groaned on the hard tarmac. Blake's eyes, more suited to operating in the darkness, were able to make out a few bruised spots on his body – but there didn't seem to be any blood. She knelt down next to him, lifting his head off the gravel so that he could rest it in her hands.**

**"B-blake?" He muttered, eyes seeming to slowly come into focus as he looked up at her.**

**"Yeah. It's me."**

**"Blake… you're-"**

"Aw, you do care." Jaune teased causing Blake to scowl in his direction. "Ah, sorry, sorry." He apologized holding his hands up in surrender.

"That being said… what do you think the gag is?" Yang cut in saving Jaune from the Kitty Death Glare.

"She's probably kneeling on his arm or something." Nora chipped in.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "That seems oddly specific."

"Nora does that." Ren reminded her simply.

**"Is Professor-friend Jaune Arc still in battle-ready condition?" A voice interrupted, as the orange-haired… thing… landed beside them. Blake couldn't help the way she tensed up. This girl might be on Ruby's side, but the way she had disposed of the White Fang soldiers had been brutal.**

**And she did mean **_**disposed.**_

The two Beacon teams shivered at the word while Neo looked interested. Glynda raised an eyebrow before sadly shaking her head. "That's one of James' students correct?" she questioned glancing at Fox.

"That is correct, her name is Penny Polendina. And she is a student of Atlas Academy." Their host explained as he set down a piece of paper he had been reading.

"I might need to have a word with that man," Glynda grumbled as she settled back into her seat.

**"Penny, he got hurt fighting Torchwick," Ruby explained, even as the other girl began to look up and down Jaune's body in a strange manner. Blake didn't like it.**

**"I estimate that there is a 67% chance Professor-friend Jaune Arc has bruised and/or damaged ribs. A 16% chance he is suffering from internal bleeding of a minor nature, 12% chance he is suffering from a concussion due to cranial trauma. But ultimately a 96% chance that he will recover given sufficient rest."**

**"Well, that's good!" Ruby cheered.**

"She seems…" Weiss hesitated as she glanced at Ruby who looked confused by Penny's words.

"Mechanical?" Ren suggested as he got a weird feeling from the scene.

"Detached from the normal emotional spectrum one expects of a human or Faunus?" Blake added in getting an odd look from her partner.

**"B-lake…" Once more her eyes were drawn down to the teacher who had risked his life to help her.**

**"Shh, don't worry. The police are on their way, we'll get you treatment."**

**"No… Blake I-"**

**"No Professor, let me talk." She pleaded, placing one finger against his lips. "You were right, what you said back in that diner. I was running away. I kept trying to justify to myself that what I had done in the past wasn't a big deal – that we were freedom fighters. I wanted to prove to Weiss and the rest of the team, that we weren't just terrorists and criminals."**

Everyone blinked as Ruby quickly pulled Blake into a hug. "Huh…" Yang hummed seeing the look of surprise on her partner's face.

"Yang, Help?" Blake requested as she tried to sit up only for Ruby to pull her back down.

"Nah, if Ruby thinks you need a hug you get a hug." The brawler explained. "Just get comfortable and let it happen."

"Yang…" Weiss sighed as she palmed her face.

**"Blake…"**

**"But I was the one who was the real problem, running away before we could do anything to try and resolve our differences like adults. And in the end, what I found here was what I really knew all along… we were terrorists. Or we had become terrorists. But that's not who I am now." She spared a glance for Ruby, who was listening intently as well, a small smile on her lips. "I'm Blake Belladonna now. A huntress in training, as well as a member of Team RWBY." The smaller girl pumped her fist happily, and Blake smiled in return.**

**"I'll have to ask you, Professor. To ignore what I said about leaving Beacon. I'll be coming back after all."**

**"Blake…" He repeated once more, and she leaned closer to listen to his words.**

**"I'm listening… what is it?"**

"While this is all meant to be heartfelt and a major character expansion I can't help but feel like this is all leading up to one big joke," Pyrrha muttered as she tilted her head to the side.

"Yeah, I was getting that feeling too." Jaune smiled weakly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"That's the nature of literature I'm afraid." Glynda nodded her head slightly as she smiled fondly at Team RWBY's closeness.

**"Blake… you're kneeling on my arm – I can't feel anything."**

**"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" She gasped, leaping back as she released him, wincing as his head cracked back down onto the hard floor.**

**"Amendment: 24% chance he is suffering from a concussion."**

Neo's shoulders shook as she tried to contain her laughter. Blake buried her face into her hands and groaned.

"Well…we all knew something like that was going to happen." Yang tried to comfort her as she patted her on the back while Ruby released the cat Faunus in order to cover her mouth in surprise.

**Jaune let out a quiet sigh as he sat propped up against a cargo container. Bright lights flashed around them, a mixture of blue, red and white. The Vale police force had been the first to arrive, and to his relief, they had brought some ambulances with them as well.**

**"I can't find any blood, so I think you'll be okay." The nameless paramedic continued, fingers parting Jaune's blonde locks in search of any injury. "You hunters certainly are robust to take this kind of damage and keep going."**

**Jaune didn't bother replying, instead looking to the side just in time to catch a flash of white light. He winced from the pain, letting some of the bright dots fade as he watched some officers escorting away some random man with a camera. Seriously… was he that much of a circus attraction?**

"Reporters…" the disgust in Weiss' voice threw everyone for a loop as they all turned towards the heiress with surprised looks. "What?" she asked, seeing their expressions.

"I just… didn't know you hated the press that much." Ruby explained as the rest of her team nodded in agreement.

"You can only see so many articles wondering at your love life or articles speculating about the illegal things you get up to so many times before it starts to get on your nerves," Pyrrha explained as she agreed with Weiss.

"You mean like that one time they thought you were in love with another competitor because it took you five minutes longer to beat him?" Weiss questioned getting Pyrrha to groan.

"He was a good fighter!" she asserted "Just because he had a difficult semblance to workaround doesn't mean I like him!"

"Don't worry Jaune this rumor is old and already debunked," Yang assured the blonde knight who blinked in confusion.

"Why would I be worried?" he asked looking lost.

"Reasons." Yang smiled enigmatically as she turned away from him.

**Ignoring the proceedings going on around him, he instead let his eyes wander towards the reunion between Team RWBY. Weiss and Yang had arrived just moments after the battle had been won. Too late to chip in, but just in time to corner Blake in case she tried to run away once more.**

**It didn't seem necessary, however. Instead, he simply watched as the four talked among themselves, occasionally with a hug from Yang. In the end, however, the expression on Blake's normally uncaring face said enough.**

**At least there was a happy ending to all of this.**

"Well, at least the ending to this whole thing is more or less the same as ours." Yang grinned and pulled her team into a group hug. There were some rolled eyes and half-hearted insults, but the other girls returned the hug nonetheless.

**"Jaune!" A female voice called out, drawing his eyes back to the police, just in time to see Glynda force her way through a few uniformed men who dared to try and impede her path. To his surprise, he even saw Peter behind her – though his pace was more measured.**

**"Jaune! Are you alright?" The Deputy demanded as she reached him, pausing with her arms outstretched towards him, before coughing and correcting herself. "What is his condition?"**

**"I'm fine." He tried, only to be ignored as she focused a sharp eye on the paramedic treating him.**

"Yeah… you can be pretty scary Professor Goodwitch." Nora shivered, seeing the rare true anger in Glynda's eyes.

"I shall choose to take that as a compliment, Miss Valkyrie," Glynda stated while adjusting her glasses making them gleam in the room's lighting.

**"Uhh… he's okay I think, some bruising, nothing too bad." The man stuttered, wincing under that gaze as he looked around for some support. Predictably in the face of Glynda Goodwitch's anger, there was none. "He'll be fine?"**

**"We will have our own medical team see to Mr. Arc if you are unable to form a correct diagnosis. Please feel free to return to your own unit."**

**Jaune winced for the poor man, even as he bowed his head and scurried away. Really, the guy probably knew what he was doing – but putting up with Glynda's ire was a skill that needed to be really trained. He had no idea how Ozpin managed it.**

"Practice." Glynda seethed. "That man is truly capable of sending anyone up a wall."

The students in the room all laughed nervously as they edged away from the irate teacher while Neo hid behind her seat.

**"My boy!" Peter greeted as he strolled up towards them, patting Jaune on the head. He winced in preparation for the blow, before being surprised at how gentle it was.**

**Even Peter seemed to be treating him like glass…**

_**Wait… does that mean all the other times he hits me like a freight train were on purpose!?**_

There was laughter in the room as Jaune grumbled a bit.

**"Squaring off against a renowned criminal, within not a month of your tenure with us! You aim big my boy – but you should have invited me along!" **_**You should have asked for help.**_** Jaune read between the lines and the serious look in Peter's eyes.**

**"I know, it was a mistake. I had to help Ruby though."**

**"So long as this does not become a habit, Mr. Arc." Glynda rebuked, and he knew how serious she was when she started addressing him by his last name. "Roman Torchwick is no mere pickpocket, he was also once a skilled hunter in his own right. There's no shame in being defeated by him."**

Glynda scowled at the reminder. "I will destroy that man…" she hissed as Neo shivered in fear. "Neo… was it?" Glynda intoned as she turned her icy glare onto the shorter woman who froze.

"Let Roman know that I have neither forgiven nor forgotten that time."

**"Well." Yang's voice carried over to the three of them. "All's well that ends well, right!?"**

**"Excuse me, gentlemen." Glynda quickly cut in, before stomping over to the girls.**

**"There she goes," Peter whispered to the injured teen. "To crush some dreams."**

**Jaune wondered if it made him a bad person, that he was mentally cheering Glynda on?**

**All's well that ends well his aching ass!**

Team RWBY shivered as they were given a mental image of what Glynda looked like as she bore down on their counterparts.

**The ride back to Beacon had been a particularly awkward one, for a number of reasons.**

**A Bullhead wasn't exactly the most spacious vehicle at the best of times, and certainly not when four of the occupants were doing their best to be as **_**far away**_** from Glynda as possible. It seemed Blake's friend, the monkey Faunus, had managed to slip away before the shouting began – but the four members of Team RWBY looked horribly nervous at the prospect of what awaited them at Beacon.**

"Understandable," Weiss muttered seeing the setup.

"In hindsight, it's amazing how little trouble we actually got into for all of that." Blake pointed out as they all turned their attention to Glynda.

**What also made the trip a little awkward was Jaune's position, floating in the middle of the carriage on an invisible stretcher courtesy of his superior. It wasn't so much that it was uncomfortable, because actually it was a bed that seemed to be made of air, and it really did support him well. It was more that he wasn't sure what to do with himself looking like he did.**

**So he chose to cross his arms over his chest and simply wait, looking for all of Remnant like he was levitating and thoroughly bored at such a feat.**

"That looks fun," Nora stated offhand as she grinned at her best friend.

"Nora, no." Ren chided before Nora could even pitch her idea to him.

**Thankfully the trip from Vale to Beacon was short, and something about being levitated worked to counteract his motion sickness – maybe because he was being kept perfectly level and still by Glynda, and wasn't rocking with the motion of the vehicle. Either way, when the doors opened and he was floated off the vehicle and deep into Beacon, it was without vomit-stained clothes.**

**A few people looked at them as they passed, with plenty of hushed whispers going on. News probably hadn't traveled all that fast, but the explosion at the docks – and more importantly, the billowing dust cloud it had created, would surely have caught the student's attention. Now a badly injured teacher would be sure to generate even more rumors.**

**Joy.**

Everyone other than Neo groaned slightly at the reminder of the Beacon Rumor Mill. "It gets blown out of proportion so quickly," Ruby whined remembering a couple involving herself that she had heard over her brief time in the school.

**"It didn't cross my mind to ask earlier." Jaune piped up, directing his question towards his two colleagues walking ahead of him, rather than the four teenagers sullenly bringing up the rear. "But do we actually **_**have**_** any medical professionals at Beacon?" Oh, he knew they had an infirmary, but now that he thought of it, he hadn't been introduced to anyone else working at Beacon.**

**"Of course we do lad," Peter explained. "We have a trained doctor and aura specialist – though if there is a really serious accident we'll shuttle people down to the Vale main hospital."**

**"It is our responsibility as teachers to minimize injury where possible," Glynda added. "As such most cases for our infirmary are from concussive trauma and depleted aura reserves. Aura does wonders to protect the body, but there is always some force that bleeds through. Broken bones and minor injuries are somewhat common."**

"That being said I don't think any of us have ever been sent to the infirmary." Jaune pondered as he recalled all of his losses to Cardin.

"You only ever suffered minor bruising," Glynda recalled as she checked something on her scroll. "Nothing a little rest wouldn't fix."

**"Have I met the person who will be treating me?" He wondered, trying to recall the faces of those who worked at Beacon. It was an impossible task, however. Apart from the small core team of teachers, there seemed to be at least a hundred other minor staff at Beacon – many of which worked in the kitchens, as janitors or as maintenance staff. He supposed it made sense they might have some medical staff on hand as well.**

**"I don't think so." Glynda shrugged. "Certainly you haven't had need to as of yet, but I suppose it's not beyond possibility that you've seen her around, or at the kitchens."**

**Any further questions were curtailed as they reached the white door of the infirmary, Peter holding it open as Glynda maneuvered him inside. The four students filed in afterward when Peter made it clear they were expected inside. Ozpin was waiting for them all, besides a brown-haired woman he didn't recognize.**

"Ah, it is Tsune," Glynda noted with a nod of her head.

"What is she like?" Ruby asked curiously.

"She's…colorful."

**"Over here Glynda, I've prepared a bed." The woman smiled pleasantly, exuding that caring attitude one could expect from a woman used to dealing with young children. It was as Glynda moved him towards the soft white bed that he made out the additional features the woman boasted.**

**She was a Faunus too, like Blake. Though unlike the black-haired girl wilting under Ozpin's gaze, this woman had both a set of brown ears – and a fluffy brown tail, tipped with black. A dog Faunus… or a fox one, perhaps? Some kind of canine, though when she smiled he could clearly see she didn't have any fangs or similar.**

"Huh… a dual featured Faunus." Blake mused in surprise. "That's rare."

"Is it?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, it's usually only one," Blake explained as she tilted her head to the side.

"Is there any significance to that?" Weiss asked cautiously.

"Not really." Blake shook her head in the negative.

**"Jaune, this is the head of the medical team of Beacon. Kitsune-chan."**

**There was a general pause after the introduction. Jaune blinked once, then twice, even as the woman – who after being labeled with that name **_**had**_** to be a fox Faunus – looked away.**

**"Kitsune?" Jaune attempted.**

**"No. Her full name **_**is**_** Kitsune-chan."**

**O…kay…**

"So… her last name is Chan?" Jaune guessed as he looked to Glynda for aid.

"It doesn't seem to be a name following the color traditions either," Pyrrha noted with a curious expression.

"It's…complicated. Glynda shrugged her shoulders not quite sure how to explain things.

**"Please call me Tsune." The woman pleaded, pushing Jaune down into the soft sheets, and pulling the blanket up towards his midriff. She settled a few pillows behind him, so he could sit up for the conversation ahead. "My parents were hardly the most responsible of people, so I would **_**really**_** prefer Tsune."**

**"Eh, sure." Jaune laughed, finally feeling a little calmer now that he was in a bed and no one was trying to actively kill him. Compared to all the crazy shit that had happened lately… with Neo, teaching, Cardin, and Roman... A woman with an unusual name might as well be old-hat.**

**"Tsune is hunter-trained, and also medically qualified," Glynda explained as the fox-Faunus began gently prodding along Jaune's body, humming to herself as she did so. "Beyond that, her semblance also allows her to subtly direct the flow of aura through a patient's body."**

"Is… is the Cardin thing actually happening?" Yang asked through muffled laughter.

"I hope so," Rub muttered not quite enthused by information on the bully. "Stupid bully." She grumbled.

**"Though it won't be of much use here." The doctor laughed. "You're pretty much running on fumes."**

**"Will he be okay?" Glynda demanded, hands scrunching up Jaune's sheets.**

**"Unless he has a hitherto undiscovered allergy to infirmaries he should be fine. As far as I can see he had some bruising, possibly some damaged ribs – which I can check once you're all gone. And judging by how cognizant he is, I doubt he has any brain damage. Can you look into my eyes for a moment Mr. Arc?"**

"Something feels off…" Jaune muttered.

"How so?" Pyrrha questioned wondering what was bothering her leader.

"I'm not sure, just something feels…incorrect I guess you could say."

**"Sure." He accepted, matching her gaze as she moved her face about ten inches or so from his. Some of her long brown locks fell down across his shoulders, but otherwise, she kept her face pleasantly neutral as her deep brown eyes met his. He noticed that she had a slightly unusually shaped pupil, though it wasn't split as some Faunus had. Just somewhere in the middle.**

**"His pupils aren't dilating, so there are no problems there." She reported as she lifted her face away, flicking her hair back behind her. He took the brief respite to have a proper look at her, in the way that he wouldn't out loud admit all men did. She wasn't stunning like Yang or Neo, but she was certainly comely and fetching in her own way. A relatively smooth face, though with a single beauty mark a little below and to the left of her lips.**

**Idly he wondered if his standards were simply becoming higher – since most of the women at Beacon seemed to be super-model material.**

"You think so?" Yang asked as she struck a provocative pose.

"Down girl." Blake chastised her unenthusiastically.

Glynda raised an eyebrow as she considered the statement. "Well, we do keep ourselves in fighting shape." She conceded.

**"Team RWBY." Ozpin suddenly spoke, silencing the two women as they all turned to watch the Headmaster attend to his errant students. "I must say, I am most disappointed in you all."**

**He let the words sink in, along with the shame, as the four girls looked at the floor. Some stubbornly, others with true remorse.**

**"While it's not unusual for teams to experience difficulties in their time together, getting into dangerous fights that cause significant property damage is." He paused once more, an apparent master of causing guilt through well-timed silences. "It is even worse when you not only endanger your own lives but the lives of your teammates. And much worse when you endanger the lives of people even outside your team." Here he paused to look towards Jaune, and the girls seemed to slump even further.**

_**That was my fault though**_

"Ugh…" Blake looked like someone had punched her as she realized this was how things could've gone.

**"Miss Belladonna." Ozpin's voice cracked out, making the girl jump violently. "Your past was known to us long before we decided to take you on here. I believe you suspected this to be the case?"**

**"I did," Blake answered simply. "You suggested that you knew."**

**"Indeed. At the time I did not believe it a big deal – you had clearly shown you wished to step away from the mistakes you once made. And yet I see you were unable to do so indefinitely… Given the circumstances, I believe Miss Schnee would be well within her rights to request your removal from Beacon."**

"This is so nerve-wracking," Ruby whispered to her sister who nodded in agreement.

"I hope nothing bad happens." Nora stage whispered to her own team as they watched with growing unease.

**"No!" Said girl shouted, before covering her mouth with one hand. "I'm sorry, I mean no, I don't want that. I'm content with Blake on the team, we can resolve our differences."**

_**Good job Miss Schnee.**_** Jaune praised, glad to see the two of them getting on. He didn't miss the grateful expression on Blake's face, nor the happy ones on the two sisters.**

**"Even so." Ozpin continued, cutting those smiles down with ruthless precision. "Sometimes I, as Headmaster, must make decisions students do not agree with – if they are made to protect the majority."**

"This guy is a bastard." The sign in Neo's hands read out causing Glynda to roll her eyes while the two teams seemed thankful for the distraction.

_**Again**_** he paused. This time taking a whole minute to savor a sip of his coffee. Jaune couldn't even tell if it was a deliberate pause, but the four girls barely seemed to breathe.**

**"Miss Belladonna. I am not sure we can continue to have you here. Given your unwillingness to move beyond your past."**

**"No…" The girl whispered, the tone causing Jaune's heart to freeze. She looked desolate, her eyes shaking – or was it her entire body? Yang grasped one of her hands, trying to lend her strength.**

"**I am afraid so. Miss Belladonna, you are hereby exp-"**

"NO BLAKE!" Ruby wailed as she clung to Blake's arm.

"Ruby it's fine." Said Faunus tried to get her to calm down "I'm still here nothing like that happened."

As Weiss and Yang turned to aid Blake in calming the young Reaper down the rest of the audience turned towards the book waiting to see what was going on.

**"Wait! Wait wait wait!" Someone shouted out rapidly. And it took the pain in his ribs to realize it was himself. All eyes turned to him, even as his mind went blank.**

_**Okay… so what was I going to say?**_

**"You have something to add Mr. Arc?"**

**"Yes... I… this isn't the correct decision."**

**"Oh?"**

**"Absolutely." Jaune delayed, wracking his brain for an answer. From the corner of his eye, he could see four sets of young eyes staring at him pleadingly. **_**I'm trying!**_

"I wonder how he gets out of this one." Ren pondered as he smiled faintly.

"Eh, who knows?" Nora shrugged her shoulders. "But fearless leader will find a way!" Pyrrha and Jaune laughed slightly at Nora's mannerisms before sharing a quick look between themselves as well.

**"My injuries were my own fault – I made a poor estimation of an opponent's strength."**

**"You did what you thought was necessary to defend a student." Ozpin summarized. "A decision that would not have been necessary had Miss Belladonna simply informed us of the situation – or had she not attempted to attack Roman Torchwick alone."**

**"Yes well… maybe it was a mistake, but that's why they're here, isn't it? To learn from their mistakes and grow from them."**

"Maybe with this, you'll think before acting Miss Belladonna." Glynda cut in as she shot a sharp look Blake's way.

The cat Faunus gulped loudly before nodding her head in understanding. "I will Professor Goodwitch." She promised.

**"To a degree, yes. What concerns me however is her willingness to ignore the rules where the White Fang is concerned. She has shown an unwillingness to move on from her time with them."**

**Jaune spared a moment to look at the girl in question, whose yellow eyes were locked on his. Both her hands were now held, one by Yang – and one by Weiss of all people. **_**Please.**_** She seemed to mouth towards him. **_**Please…**_

**"I think she can."**

**"You think, Mr. Arc?"**

**"No. I know she can."**

"Vomit Boy saves the day!" Yang cheered as Ruby smiled in relief.

"Again with that name…" Jaune groaned as Yang laughed at him.

**"Very well, then. I'll leave it in your hands." The Headmaster cheerfully accepted, a bright smile coming to his face almost immediately. There seemed to be a loud crash as the four teenage girls collapsed.**

**"Wh-what?" Jaune attempted.**

**"Oh well, you have offered to show your support for Miss Belladonna. What better form of rehabilitation than counseling? I applaud your willingness to aid a student – despite the vast amounts of paperwork involved."**

**"Vast….?" Jaune groaned, suddenly realizing just why Ozpin looked so pleased. And perhaps just what his plan had been all along.**

**"Oh, you would not believe Mr. Arc. But I'm sure you will. I'll have some people bring it to your office."**

_**You bastard Ozpin….**_

"Ah…" Blake looked towards Jaune who was given a mental image of how much paperwork needed to be done.

"I don't think you should say anything right now Blake," Weiss suggested seeing Jaune turn more and more pale.

"I think you're right."

**"And Miss Belladonna?" The Headmaster chirped, getting a nod from the girl picking herself up from the floor. "Do remember the opportunity Mr. Arc has given you… you will have a session **_**every**_** week, and you will **_**not**_** miss them. Am I understood?"**

**"Yes, sir." She accepted, mouthing her thanks towards Jaune. Not that he could see it, with one arm across his eyes and thoughts of paperwork streaming through his mind. Was it too late to throw her to the wolves?**

**"Alright, I think we're done here." The doctor began to usher them from the room. "Mr. Arc needs his rest, not to be haunted with whatever work he has ahead of him."**

"This is where we see if this is the Tsune I think it is," Glynda muttered with a tired sigh.

"You seem, troubled Professor," Ren noted as Glynda coughed a little.

"She…has a troubling interest," Glynda revealed with a stiff expression.

**"Wait, can't we speak with him?" Ruby attempted to squeeze by the woman, only for the doctor to quickly snatch the back of her hood and begin dragging her to the door.**

**"Visiting hours are tomorrow, ten through eight. He needs **_**rest,**_** not excitement."**

**"I will visit you tomorrow." Glynda was the last to leave. "Look after him Tsune."**

**"I will Glynda, don't worry." The Faunus laughed as the door closed, leaving the two of them alone. "Talk about the center of attention Mr. Arc."**

**"Ah, you can call me Jaune."**

"So far so good," Jaune noted suddenly nervous for his counterpart.

**"Only if you call me Tsune. And I am very serious about that. Use my full name and you might find something nasty happening." She smiled to show she was joking as she came up to stand by him. "Now that they're gone, however, I want to do some quick tests to get a better idea of what we're working with."**

**"Sure, I guess. What do you need me to do?"**

**"Just sit still, and tell me if anything hurts." She didn't wait for his response, instead, placing two fingers on his chest, a little below his heart and pressing into his skin. Thankfully she hadn't seen fit to ask him to divest of his shirt, so he didn't have an attractive woman running her hands all over his chest. Instead, she simply started moving her fingers higher, stopping at each rib to push in on it slightly.**

**"Argh." Jaune gritted once she had reached the third or fourth. "That one hurts."**

**"Yeah?" The woman asked, pressing down on it again. **_**Hard.**_

"Oh no…" Blake muttered as she figured it out.

"Yeah…that's Tsune alright." Glynda sighed as she massaged the bridge of her nose tiredly.

"She's an S isn't she?" Yang asked with a dull expression.

"An S?" Ruby asked looking around for help.

"You remember our talk about masochists?" Pyrrha asked cheerfully. "An S stands for Sadists which is the other half of that coin."

"You mean she gets excited about hurting people?" Ruby asked in horror. "And she's a medical professional?" she screamed.

**"Ow, yes!" He gasped, giving her a small angry glare as she moved away from that rib with an apologetic smile. Yes, thanks, he was good at identifying pain – no reason to press it again!**

**"How about this one?" She asked, pushing down on a different one, drawing a low groan from him in answer. Through the haze of pain, he noticed the woman biting down on her lower lip. Her eyes closing languidly. "Hmmm yeah… that one hurts, oh yeah I bet it does…"**

**"Er… Tsune?"**

**"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry I was just talking to myself Jaune!" The fox laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "I just meant that it looks like you have a few bruised ribs, so it makes sense that it's these three next to one another. Probably from a single solid blow to your ribcage."**

Glynda just buried her face into her hands. "She's my best friend too…" she muttered trying to remember all the fun times the two of them had as students.

Neo held up a sign. "Weirdo"

**"Ah right, yeah… he wasn't very gentle."**

**"Hmmmm…. good..."**

**"Pardon?"**

**"Oh I mean it's good that it was from him, at least then we know it's not an internal injury."**

**Okay… he supposed that made sense. The explained injury was better than an unexplained one or something. Wasn't that something they said about ninjas though?**

"Poor Jaune," Pyrrha muttered worriedly.

"It gets worse," Ren stated with confidence.

"It also better get better," Jaune grumbled as he felt phantom pains from the actions within the book.

**"Right well, I just want to administer a dust injection, and then I'll let you rest for the night." The woman turned away from him as she began to rummage in some nearby medical cabinets. Jaune shivered from where he lay, hating the idea of injections with a passion. From the corner of his eye, he could just make out the woman's tail flicking behind her, apparently moving without her control.**

**"What's a dust injection… it sounds risky." Surely she didn't mean injecting actual dust into him, right!?**

**"It's more of an auric booster, to kick-start the recovery of your aura levels. No use in the field because it makes you tired afterward, but that will only make sleep easier for you." She explained while drawing something from a bottle into what looked to be the biggest fucking needle he had **_**ever**_** had the misfortune of seeing.**

"I am never going to the nurse's office…ever," Ruby vowed as she stared at her teammates.

"Right." Yang laughed perfectly willing to give in to Ruby's stubbornness about this, given the circumstances.

_**That cannot be going into me…**_

**"Anyway, no need to worry Jaune. I got my degree at a medical school, not in some dark castle patching bodies together. Dust injections are common among all hunters. No risk involved."**

**"W-why is that needle so big!?" He began to stutter as she turned towards him. That wasn't a needle - that was a spear!**

**"Hmm?" The fox tilted her head questioningly. "Well, have you ever tried giving an injection to someone with aura? You can't exactly turn it off – and mundane needles just snap under the pressure. We're forced to be a little more… **_**heavy duty**_**."**

Everyone in the room shivered before offering a prayer for Jaune's safety.

**She smiled as she approached him, even as he tried to push himself back on the bed.**

**"Can't we go without the booster!?" He demanded hysterically.**

**"Now, now Jaune… calm down. This won't hurt much."**

**"There's no way in Hell that won't hurt!"**

"Okay…to be fair it is common," Glynda revealed as the younger crowd looked at her in horror. "Admittedly the size of the needle is far more normal than that though." Eight sighs of relief followed her statement.

**"Jaune!" The woman gasped, holding one hand to her breast. "Do I look like a woman who takes pleasure in causing pain to my patients? I, who, have dedicated my life to the art of healing?"**

**"Your tail is wagging…" Jaune pointed out with narrowed eyes, even as the woman flinched and looked over her shoulder. True to his words, the fluffy appendage was wagging back and forth aggressively.**

**"Ignore it." Tsune grinned, grabbing it with one hand when it came by, and doing her best to hold it still. "Now, it's time for your booster Jaune!"**

**He could only whimper.**

"Betrayed by the tail," Yang said in her best announcer voice garnering laughter from her friends as Neo and Glynda rolled their eyes in exasperated amusement.

**OMAKE:**

**Why is Ruby suddenly drinking so much milk?" Weiss finally caved and asked of Yang, as the three of them watched their young leader down a third pint of the dairy product.**

**"Ugh," Yang grunted. "She has this obsession with milk helping her grow up faster – usually when she does this it's because she wants to be bigger, or older."**

**"Ruby." Blake interrupted, reaching over and holding the glass down before pint number four could join its brethren. "You're going to make yourself sick."**

"So this side story is about Ruby wanting to get older…" Weiss hummed as she tried to imagine it. "Hm…"

"You don't have to think that hard about it…" Ruby sulked as Yang laughed

**"Yeah sis, what's gotten into you?"**

**"I need to be bigger!" The young girl explained, trying to remove Blake's hand from the glass. The Faunus girl simply raised one eyebrow, keeping the glass locked down. "I need bigger breasts and two feet of height… and longer legs! At least!"**

**"You and Weiss both." Yang quipped, ignoring the indignant squawking from the Heiress. "But why right now?"**

Nora snorted at the quick jab at Weiss causing said heiress to narrow her eyes.

"**Well, how am I supposed to compete with all these older women?" Ruby sighed, collapsing onto the table with her head in her hands. "I mean Professor Jaune is surrounded by so many gorgeous adults – all with huge breasts. And I'm… me."**

**"Awwww, Rubes." Yang cooed, sitting down and pulling her in for a hug. "You silly girl, you don't need to change yourself to attract a guy."**

**"Easy for you to say…" The girl mumbled petulantly, glaring at Yang's breasts.**

Yang covered her chest as Ruby glared at it. "Hey!" she growled, "Just because you don't have these doesn't mean it's my fault that I do!"

**"Yang is right Ruby." Blake agreed, sitting opposite her while subtly hiding the milk. "You don't need to change yourself to fit an ideal you believe the Professor desires. You simply need to make him notice **_**you**_**, and make him desire **_**you**_**."**

**"Exactly!" Yang cheered, ruffling Ruby's hair."**

**"Make him... notice… me…?" Ruby whispered to herself.**

"No one going to comment on how they're treating Ruby like an addict or a drunk?" Jaune asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well… if the shoe fits." Yang shrugged her shoulders while Ruby looked at her teammates in betrayal.

**Jaune sighed as he headed towards the lockers. Another combat class, another long shower. At least this time he had just been running with the students as a pacemaker. Sweaty work, but he hadn't been forced to fight again.**

**Pulling off his shirt he opened the door of his locker, before freezing.**

**"Ehh… hiya Jaune, not-!" Ruby greeted from within the metal box.**

**Jaune slammed the door closed, unsure if he was imagining things.**

Ren sighed as Nora burst into laughter. "The notice me joke!" she crowed as Ren shook his head sadly.

"Ugh…" Ruby groaned not all fond of that brand of humor. "Why me?" she moaned

**"Right class." Jaune began as he sat down at Oobleck's desk. "Oobleck's currently comatose since we ran out of coffee, so I'll be handling this class. If you open your textbooks to page-" He paused, as he felt something against his legs. Looking down he noticed something red.**

**"Jaune! Noti-" Ruby waved from beneath the desk, even as he reared back in shock, toppling over his seat and smacking his head against the wall.**

**"You sure are a glutton for punishment." Tsune sighed as Jaune lay morosely on the hospital bed, some bandages around his skull. "Well, time for an aura booster I think."**

Blake raised an eyebrow as she glanced at her leader. "Really?" she asked.

"Please make it stop…"

**Jaune whimpered.**

**The woman once more sashayed over to the medical cabinet, opening it, before screaming in surprise.**

**Jaune felt no such shock. Even as a red figure tumbled and rolled out of the cabinet and across the floor to his bed. His eyes simply watched it all vacantly.**

**"Ahem." Ruby coughed once into her fist, before placing both her hands beneath her chin and shouting the words that doomed him.**

**"Notice me senpai!"**

They all heard a thud, and when they turned to investigate, found Neo rolling around on the floor laughing her ass off. "It's not _that_ funny." Jaune groused as Pyrrha turned away from him to hide her own smile.

"I think it is." Nora laughed as she wiped her eyes.

"Gee…thanks Nora." Jaune sighed tiredly as everyone had a good laugh at him and Ruby.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Sorry about late update. Got distracted by other things in life.


	12. Reading chapter 12

Before the group could continue reading a knock was heard at the door. "Delivery!" someone called out from the other side. Fox blinked in surprise as he looked towards the noise.

"You get mail?" Glynda asked in surprise.

"I shouldn't," Fox muttered as he got to his feet and ambled over towards the door. "Yes?" he asked as he opened I revealing a man with a blue delivery outfit with his hat tilted forwards obscuring his facial features.

"Delivery for you." The man explained as he held out a clipboard with a pen. "Please sign on the dotted line."

"How are you even reaching this place?" Fox asked instead as he looked over the form.

"Interdimensional delivery service, it doesn't matter where in the multiverse you are we can deliver it to you."

"Right…" seeing nothing wrong with the form Fox signed his name and handed the clipboard and pen back to the delivery man.

"Signature received thank you for your patronage!" the man called out as he stepped the side right as a landslide of letters materialized behind where he had been standing.

Fox had little time to react as the letters crashed into him as the door was closed by the delivery man after the last letter landed on the ground. "Ow…"

Weiss picked one up and looked at it as the others tried to help Fox get out of the pile. "If I'm reading this right." She muttered catching the attention of the others. "Whoever sent this letter is requesting you to host a viewing party of some sort."

"Ah… one of those." Fox rubbed his head with a sigh. "I…really don't want to." He muttered as Ruby looked up at him curiously.

"Why not?" she asked causing him to chuckle.

"Because so many others like me have already done so." He explained with a small smile. "Besides that usually involves dragging a bunch of different people in here and honestly that feels like too much work."

"A lot of these are like that." Blake noted, "This one seems to be about some sort of idea?"

"Ah…" Fox hummed as he looked over the letter Blake handed him. "Actually this might be a good idea after we finish the Professor Arc storyline."

**I'm telling you… something was off about her."**

**"Nonsense Jaune, you're imagining things."**

**"I woke up strapped to a bed!"**

"Did he get any?" Yang asked drawing scandalized gasps from her friends while Neo smirked as she made a hole with one hand and viciously thrust her pointer finger through it.

"I don't believe so." Jaune pointed out. "I don't think I'd be complaining to Miss Goodwitch about her if I did."

"Maybe you liked it?" Blake asked with an amused smirk.

"Is that what you really think of me, Blake?" Jaune asked holding a hand over his heart dramatically.

Despite herself, Glynda smiled as she watched the children banter back and forth between each other.

**"It's not unusual to strap patients down." Glynda laughed softly. "It's to make sure they don't injure themselves."**

**"With chains and leather!?" He could still feel the bruises on his wrists where they had bitten into his flesh, along with the stinging in his arm from yet another booster. Two hours ago! And it still hurt. He was no doctor, though perhaps he could fake his way into the profession (it seemed to work for everything else), but he was fairly sure you weren't supposed to have a booster every eight hours or so.**

Glynda sighed "That…I have no words." She rubbed her forehead in aggravation as she recalled her friend's tastes.

Ruby shivered "Why would she need to use chains and leather?"

"She's an S Ruby, that should be expected."

"S's are scary!"

**"No doubt for those with semblances that could break lesser material." Glynda stoutly defended her friend, a theme he was beginning to think might be recurring. Seriously… could no one else see what he saw!?**

**"Argh…" He groaned, shuffling some scrambled egg into his mouth in an effort at distraction. "Have you… ever been injured here?" He asked around swallows.**

**"Me?" Glynda said, pointing towards herself. "Not that I can recall, I mean I've had a cold once or twice, but never something that necessitated a visit to Tsune."**

Glynda coughed into her hands. "Yes, that sounds about right, either something that requires a trip to a hospital or something that I can sleep off."

"That…might be just what Beacon tries to teach its students. Either crush the enemy so thoroughly that you don't need any medical attention or fight to the bitter end and hope you survive long enough to make it to the trauma center." Weiss hummed as the others felt beads of sweat forming on their brows.

"Are you goody-goodies really this fucking insane?" Neo's sign read as she gave them the biggest 'What the fuck' expression she could make.

**"And suddenly everything becomes clearer." He grumbled, rubbing his arm. How had someone like that gotten a career in medicine, especially around children? Did no one do the required background che- oh wait… yeah…**

**"Cheer up lad." Peter laughed, thumping him on the back hard enough to make his plate rattle. "I know what'll make you feel better – a good day out in Grimm-infested wilderness."**

**Oh yeah, that sounded great… seriously, was that what real hunters did for fun, or was that just Port? Either way, he'd prefer to avoid that if he could-**

"It's cathartic." Ren nodded his head slightly.

"Good stress relief especially if you're in a fairly low danger area." Yang nodded her head in agreement.

"It's nice to test new things on Beowolves." Ruby supplied happily.

Jaune turned his attention onto Neo. "Yes. Yes, they are."

**"Ah yes, the field trip is tomorrow." The blonde woman to his left nodded. "You and I shall be in charge of all the first years Jaune." Or then again, a romp in the wilderness with a bunch of teenagers sounded awesome… yeah. Maybe he could just slip off and prepare his will before they did that. Oh, Gods…**

**"Isn't this a bit sudden?" He asked worriedly. Surely a single day wasn't exactly considered the right amount of warning for something like this... or had they mentioned it, but he'd been too distracted with everything else? "I mean I just got out of the infirmary, and I've not done any preparation. Maybe we should delay it until next week."**

**"No can do, lad. It's already been delayed once."**

"Oh, the Forever Fall trip was simply delayed." Pyrrha hummed a bit as she tapped her chin in thought.

"Maybe it was mentioned in one of those offshoots," Weiss suggested noting the side storybook on the shelf they pulled Professor Arc from.

"Eh, I don't really feel like looking through it to find out." Jaune waved his hands

**"That's right Jaune." Glynda agreed. "The trip to Forever Fall was actually supposed to take place a week or so ago. Pushing it back even further would make things worse, particularly with the transfer students arriving soon."**

**"Ah yes!" Peter crowed. "New students from Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo – I can hardly wait."**

**"Hang on a minute. Can we get back to this trip please?" As much as a slew of new students sounded terrifying – and it really did – he had more immediate concerns to deal with. Like how he was going to guard a bunch of skilled combatants against bloodthirsty monsters. "Like, what is it we're doing?"**

"He is… harried." Glynda noted watching as Jaune panicked within the book.

"Seems to be the running theme of this story honestly." Jaune chuckled weakly.

**"The Forever Fall field trip is an annual event for first years," Glynda explained, settling her cup of flavored hot-water down on the table. "It's a chance for them to learn about the environments Grimm frequent, while also getting a chance to work on their teamwork in a more realistic setting."**

**"Okay… so how come it's been delayed?"**

**"Normally I handle the trip, escorting and supervising the students." Glynda went on. "It's not an easy task on my own, and with you joining as a support teacher it seemed the obvious choice to have you come along under my command. We would have gone a week or so ago, but we had to delay it until you had your combat bout."**

"Okay, that makes sense. Wait until Jaune proves to the students he's capable of leading them." Pyrrha nodded her head.

"Fearless leader had to show his worth!" Nora cheered happily. Neo rolled her eyes.

**"You needed to prove yourself to the class." Peter cut in, leaning forward with one elbow on the table. "No matter how good you are, to the students, you still look nearly the same age."**

**"So you thought they might not follow my instructions? Or respect me enough to listen to me?"**

**"That, and long enough for you to get some experience with dealing with children." Glynda sighed. "Not everyone is suited to teaching – even if they are the strongest of Hunters. We couldn't just let you out into dangerous territory with our pupils if we weren't **_**absolutely**_** certain you would be able to look after them. It's not a question of your ability." She rushed to assure him, despite having hit the nail right on the head. "It's more that you might not have the right mindset for teaching."**

"I hate to say this, but that sounds surprisingly reasonable." Weiss apologized with a slight tilt of her head.

"Of course it is, Miss Schnee." Glynda adjusted her glasses. "It sounds like one of my plans." That it was not Ozpin's went unsaid.

**"Right… okay." Jaune sighed. "So now that the students know I'm stronger than them, and that I'm not bad at teaching, it's okay for me to run this with you?"**

**"Exactly." The blonde woman nodded, seemingly pleased that he understood her reasoning. "After what you did against Roman Torchwick as well, there really can be no doubts that you would protect those under your watch."**

**After he got his ass handed to him and was thrown off a rooftop? Hardly the best of credentials, and this would be worse – Grimm weren't likely going to bargain with him so that they could both escape unharmed.**

"Well…" Jaune coughed.

"There's nothing you could say that makes this better Jaune." Blake supplied helpfully.

**Except… what could he actually do to escape going on it? They'd already delayed it once, specifically so he could go along to make the job easier on Glynda. Clearly, they weren't going to delay it again, nor were they going to accept sending the deputy on her own when he was clearly unhurt…**

**Should he go see that crazy Faunus again? She would probably injure him quickly enough…**

**Which was least likely to result in his death?**

"God, you're such a wimp sometimes Vomit Boy." Yang rolled her eyes as Jaune looked offended.

"He's better now." Ren defended his leader.

"Thanks, Ren…" Jaune ignored the fact that Ren's statement implied he wasn't before.

**"Sounds… awesome." He forced out, hoping the smile on his face didn't look as sickly as it felt. "Tomorrow then?"**

**"Bright and early." His executioner smiled, climbing from her seat. "Now if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have some paperwork to see to." The moment she was out of sight, a burly arm wrapped around his shoulders, dragging him into Peter's rib cage.**

**"My boy!" The large man cheered, squashing Jaune's face into his chest. "Alone out in the woods with Miss Goodwitch, a man and a woman, romantic walks – the sounds of nature... This is your chance lad!"**

"Why do I suddenly have the urge to strangle Peter?" Glynda wondered as she felt her eye begin to twitch.

**"My chance for what…?" Jaune questioned, extricating himself from Peter's man-boobs with a grimace.**

**"Don't play coy. This is your chance to have a romantic moment with our very own Deputy-Headmistress!"**

"That would do it." She ground out as she clenched her teeth.

**"W-what?!" He choked, looking around to see if anyone was listening in. Predictably every single student within a twenty-meter radius was watching them. "I'm not asking Glynda out!" He hissed quietly. "We're not like that! Also, we'll be in the middle of a forest…"**

**"It's romantic," Peter exclaimed, **_**loudly**_**.**

**"It's Grimm-infested!"**

**"Romantic."**

**"There'll be students everywhere!"**

**"Romant-" Peter paused as Jaune glared at him. "Alright, admittedly that last one is a downer. But still! Think of the valleys!"**

"I don't know Miss Goodwitch, this story seems to be hinting heavily at the two of you becoming an item in the future," Weiss admitted causing Glynda to sigh as she placed her face in her palm.

"I understand that this is a story or a different world, whatever. But please do try to refrain from reminding me that this other me is interested in a teenager." She insisted, getting the younger crowd to open their mouths in shock. They hadn't even thought of the age difference.

**"What valleys?" Jaune sighed, stacking his plates in readiness to leave. "I don't exactly know the area well."**

**"Not those valleys." Peter grinned, making some suggestive motions towards his chest, like stroking something round. Jaune's face went red as he began to stutter his denials. "Oh pffttt, I've seen you looking, lad. Good taste I say."**

**"I've not been perving on Glynda!" He cried out before wincing as every single person in the cafeteria turned to look at him. "I despise you, Peter."**

**"No idea what you mean lad."**

"I'll murder him." Glynda growled, "No one will ever find the body."

Neo held a sign with sparkles in her eyes. "Can I help?" it read as she eagerly awaited Glynda's answer.

**"It's too early for this crap." Jaune groaned as he slumped back into his seat. He did his best to ignore the shit-eating grin on Peter's face.**

**"It's four in the afternoon!" The older man laughed.**

**"As I said, too early," Jaune grumbled, wishing he could have fallen into a brief coma instead of waking up at all. If it wasn't criminals kicking his ass, it was his own allies starting rumors against him. Oh Hell, he hoped this one didn't make it back to Glynda, or he could add `awkward` to `potentially fatal` when it came to the next day's trip.**

Ruby chanced a glance at Glynda's face. "Seems like a good concern."

"What was that Miss Rose?" Glynda asked with a forced calm that sent shivers down Ruby's spine.

"Nothing!"

**Not to mention he still had his first session with Blake Belladonna to deal with, now that he was responsible for her rehabilitation. What exactly was he supposed to do again to reform someone who had been in an extremist terrorist organization? Somehow that hadn't been covered in his psychological education… oh yeah.**

_**Fuck my life…**_

**Jaune sighed even louder when his scroll started singing, playing some ridiculous fast-paced tune with trumpets. He knew that ringtone, as much as he wished he didn't. Just one thing after another…**

"You're getting psycho-analyzed?" Yang asked her partner who shrugged her shoulders.

"I mean, they're basically turning him into a therapist as it is." The black-themed girl responded after a moment.

"Does a student counselor actually do that though?" Weiss asked looking to the professor in the room for clarity.

"For civilians, probably not, hunters and huntresses on the other hand… well, you never know really." She admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

**"I have to take this." A quick wave, and a subtle leaving of his plates for Peter to deal with, and he was gone – slipping into the less occupied corridors where the students might not see him. Better safe than sorry, however…**

**"Hello, cousin." He sighed into the receiver before the scroll could jump into another chorus. There was silence on the other end of the line for a second.**

**"Hey, kid!" Roman Torchwick laughed. "You're up and about already, such a go-getter. I'm proud - we should go bowling!"**

**"Yeah, I'm up, no thanks to someone."**

"Gods he's annoying." Jaune groused before Neo jabbed him in the side. "There's no way you think I'm lying about this."

She glared and held up a sign. "Only I get to say it."

**"Yeah, no thanks to you crashing my party kid. Anyway, I'm not calling to talk about the many mistakes you've made in life. I'm calling in one of my favors."**

_**Oh, Gods…**_** Jaune groaned to himself, rubbing a hand down his forehead. As though life couldn't get any worse right now, Roman was going to have him do some kind of stupidly dangerous and illegal-wait…**

**"**_**One**_** of my favors?" Jaune repeated. "What do you mean one of, I only owe you one!"**

Neo snorted causing the others to look her way. Waving them off she continued to watch as things unfolded.

**"Haha, yeah… no. You see last night I would have been better off just killing you. Letting you go was a favor to you since it helped you out. So now you owe me **_**two**_** favors. But don't worry so much – we're about to bring that back down to the oh-so-manageable number of one."**

**"Doesn't looking after Neo for you count as a favor, I really feel it ought to." The blonde faux-teacher complained, leaning back against a nearby wall. Two favors… geez… and the worst part was that he couldn't even really argue with the guy. He was pretty much right. Sparing his life had been a stacked agreement, with Roman getting relatively little from it – other than escaping with his rep intact. He could have scored more by killing Jaune - and clearly, he had the skills.**

**"Nah, that's more of a side benefit." Roman laughed. "For me, obviously."**

**"Ugh, fine. What's the favor – I said nothing that will hurt the students, right?"**

"This is why you don't make deals with the devil students," Glynda concluded as she stared at Jaune. "They always find ways to extend your debts."

**"Yeah, yeah. I wouldn't bother with them either if they didn't oh, you know – try to kill me. Anyway, my boss – who is the kinda woman you really don't want to cross – wants to meet you to discuss what she wants from you."**

**"What **_**she**_** wants from me? I don't owe her anything… do I?"**

**"No, you don't. But when I said don't cross, I kinda meant you, me **_**and**_** Neo. We're maybe all dead if you don't play ball – so I'm using one of **_**my**_** favors to ask you to come down, and agree to whatever **_**she**_** asks of you." Oh great, so now Roman had gotten them involved with even bigger criminals, and their lives were going to be on the line, oh yeah, that sounds great.**

"I guess Cinder is making an appearance soon," Ruby muttered as Glynda glanced her way. "Ah, it turns out this Cinder lady is the one giving Roman orders."

"Is this true?" the teacher asked Neo as she allowed her gaze to settle on the smaller woman. Neo hesitated before nodding her head. "I see…" Glynda sighed as she realized just how much more work was going to be dumped on her desk now.

**He was going to be made to do more illegal things…**

**He was going to be blackmailed…**

**He was going to be killed…**

**"Kid? Oi! You still there!?" The criminal shouted, making Jaune break out of his stupor.**

**"Yeah, I'm here… was just, you know… hyperventilating a little."**

Jaune just groaned while Pyrrha patted his back sympathetically.

**"Cute... Fuck... Calm down. Look – I don't know what her full plan is, but from you she just wants to meet you, probably to make sure you're not a threat to her, then she wants you to voice for some of her people when they come to Beacon – say they came from Vacuo too, or just… don't argue against it when they say they did."**

**"That's it?" He whispered, trying to plan out what might happen. Sure, they were obviously criminals – and might do something bad. But at least he could keep an eye on them here, right? That way if they were doing anything … **_**too**_** dangerous, he could get the students away… and be arrested himself. Maybe he could just say he didn't realize they had become criminals… two years changed people a lot, right?**

**Where had all the good choices gone?**

"Exited stage left when you decided to accept the job." Ren supplied unhelpfully causing Jaune to grumble.

**"I think so. Just get over here day after tomorrow so she can meet you, and for the love of everything – don't piss her off!"**

**"Yeah… I'll be there." Jaune agreed miserably, flipping the scroll closed when the screen flashed black. That made his schedule scarily full. Now all he needed was a date with death for the Friday, and he'd be all sorted.**

**And to think, a couple of weeks ago he'd had dreams of being a hero. A hunter in training… by now he'd be the leader of a team, have a girlfriend, and be the best in class… Instead, he was stuck as a teacher, being blackmailed by criminals and surrounded by sexy girls he couldn't date because they were all `underage`.**

_**This is bullshit.**_

Weiss sighed as she regarded Jaune carefully. "You reap what you sow Arc." She drawled.

Jaune cupped his face and groaned. "There, there." Pyrrha comforted as she continued to pat him on the back.

**Some might have asked. What did Jaune Arc know about psychology?**

**More than he would have expected, less than he would have liked - he might have replied. Reading through the books had been an enlightening enough experience, and certainly, some of the things he read seemed to resonate with things he'd seen in real life.**

**When he'd first accepted the post of student counselor, he would freely admit his reasons had been less than altruistic. Sure, the Headmaster had weaved the tale of Miss Scarlatina, and the other people he could help. But ultimately he'd taken the post because it would get him out of other work. After all, if he was counseling people, then surely he wouldn't be free to handle any life-threatening events… except, that hadn't worked very well.**

"You were lucky the Dock Incident only ended in property damage." Glynda snarled as she glared at the two students responsible. Both girls sank into their seats as Neo quickly hid behind the couch under Glynda's wrath.

**Still, he'd read ahead diligently enough. Prepared himself for the problems he thought any visitors might be facing. Bullying of course, because he had fully expected Velvet to be his first visitor… he'd also read up on depression, PTSD (it was a hunter school after all), and some other small problems such as anxiety and phobias.**

**It hadn't really covered the reformation of former terrorists.**

**"Uh… hello Professor." Blake Belladonna greeted, from where she was stood nervously in the doorframe, still in her school uniform. Along with a less-than-expected figure.**

"Escorted to your first session by Miss Goodwitch." Yang shook her head as she shot an amused look Blake's way. "Almost like you used to be a career criminal."

"Yang!" Ruby shouted unhappy that her sister would say something like that.

Yang held up her hands in surrender. "It's okay Ruby, she's not wrong," Blake assured the younger girl who didn't look any happier about her acceptance of the statement. Glynda herself remained silent but seemed to approve of Ruby's defense of her teammate even in the face of her sister.

**"I thought I would escort Miss Belladonna to you, Mr. Arc." Glynda Goodwitch commented lightly, one hand on the faunus' shoulder. The black-haired girl looked frustrated – clearly displeased with the suggestion that she needed to be escorted to her sessions like a prisoner.**

**"I think I can take it from here Glynda, thank you."**

**"Very well then Jaune." The woman nodded, relinquishing her hold on the prisoner. "Come along Miss Rose. We have work to do." To his surprise, he finally noticed the small form of Ruby Rose, head bowed as she trotted after the woman, a longing expression on her face as she looked back at Blake and he, before the door closed behind her.**

"Oof, Ruby looked like she was walking to the gallows." Jaune winced in sympathy for his friend.

"She has detention with Miss Goodwitch, alone. That's every student's worst nightmare." Nora nodded her head confidently before remembering one crucial bit of information. "No offense Miss Goodwitch!" she shouted looking towards the combat instructor who had raised one perfectly maintained eyebrow.

**"Ruby is helping Glynda?" He wondered out loud.**

**"It's her punishment," Blake answered, reminding him of her presence in the room. "Once we were ushered out of the medical room, Ruby received her own punishment for disobeying your orders and endangering herself. And you."**

**Ah, that made sense. It wasn't something he had actually considered – what with the pain at the time, and then the needles soon after. But if Blake was punished for running away and acting without orders, then Ruby would have to be as well – for knocking him down and rushing into danger. Both of them had, in a sense, broken school rules.**

**"I'm surprised Ozpin didn't have me counsel her as well."**

"Do not be," Glynda stated simply as she folded her arms. "Miss Belladonna's actions could attributed to a mental fixation on her old organization. Miss Rose, on the other hand, was a lack of discipline."

**"Ruby suggested that actually." The black-haired Faunus smiled, a rare flash of amusement appearing in her eyes. "But the Headmaster said something about such being less a punishment and more a reward for her. In the end, he said her judgment wasn't in question, which was what you would be helping to improve – but her discipline. And of course, there was only one person who could improve that…"**

**"Poor Ruby." Jaune chuckled. Well, perhaps Ozpin knew what he was doing, she'd certainly learn discipline from Glynda Goodwitch. After a moment he realized the two of them were still standing in the doorway, the visitor shuffling her feet. "Ah, please come in. Sorry. Would you like a drink? Perhaps some milk?"**

_**Open mouth – insert foot.**_

"At least he realized it after the fact." Blake sighed.

"All things considered that's probably one of the least offensive things for a cat Faunus right?" Yang asked as she scratched her head.

"You're not wrong, but it's still annoying."

**"Water please." The girl replied, apparently not having noticed the slip. He poured the two of them some iced water, before leading her over to some seats he had prepared in advance. The old classical reclining seat for the patient, and an armchair for himself.**

**That was how it worked in the movies, so it had to be legit.**

**Another thing he had learned from movies, and a little from the books as well, was the importance of coming to terms with yourself. He had no idea what that **_**meant**_**, but it appeared regularly throughout many of the books – so it was clearly a good thing.**

Jaune just covered his face while the others snickered at his misfortune. "Mr. Arc." Glynda sighed again "please learn context before trying to apply something you've just learned."

"Yes, Miss Goodwitch."

**"Before we begin Miss Belladonna, I want to give a few small rules about our sessions, okay?"**

**"Okay…" The girl nervously replied from where she was sat on the recliner, drink in hand.**

**"Nothing bad." He laughed. "First of all, I don't know anything about the White Fang, or being a Faunus – so if I say anything wrong, feel free to correct me. Alright?"**

**"Okay." She replied, more confidently this time, as her shoulders seemed to loosen.**

"Seems like a good start," Pyrrha noted happily.

"You always have to lay the groundwork first," Ren explained getting an odd look from Nora.

"Renny, fearless leader is helping someone not building something."

"It's an expression Nora," Ren replied easily more than used to Nora's personality.

**"Secondly, I know I'm also your teacher. But whatever you say behind closed doors will remain behind closed doors, so you can be blunt with me and speak your mind." The girl nodded, taking a sip of water as she awaited the third rule. The one he was fairly sure she would balk at.**

**"And finally, you're not allowed to wear your ribbon in my sessions."**

**"What?!" Blake choked, spraying water over her bare legs as she thumped her hand into her chest, baleful yellow eyes snapping up to glare at him. Even with her bow still on, he could see the fabric twitch aggressively.**

**"I'm not here to offer counseling to Blake Belladonna, human student at Beacon Academy. I want to talk with the faunus, Blake."**

**"I'm the same person." She complained, not making a move to remove the accessory.**

_**Aww, come on… I thought that was a pretty smooth line actually.**_

"The first step in getting others to accept you is for you to accept yourself." Glynda recited as the others laughed a little bit at Blake's spit take.

**"Miss Belladonna. Your ribbon is nothing more than a disguise hiding what you truly are. How can you hope to come to terms with yourself, if you're hiding behind a mask?" He leaned forward, blue eyes staring into her own. "It's about **_**coming to terms**_** with yourself Blake."**

**"I'm happy with who I am." She argued.**

**"Coming to terms…"**

**"You've already said that."**

Neo grinned "Arguing with the teacher that saved your school life?" she asked through her sign causing Blake to groan.

"Way to show him your appreciation Blake," Weiss announced with false cheer as Blake tried to hide her face underneath a book.

**"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He sighed. She crossed her arms, defiantly meeting his eyes.**

**"What's the easy way?"**

**"You take the bow off."**

**"The hard way?"**

**"You take the bow off."**

**"Wait, what? They're both the same."**

**"Which should give you a good idea of how this is going to go."**

"Is this a counseling session or a parent/child argument?" Ruby asked looking confused.

"Parents are a child's first counselor Ruby," Blake stated. "So it's honestly fairly similar sometimes if the person seeking counsel refuses to accept something the counselor says."

**The girl frowned at him, making sure to show her displeasure both through her narrowed eyes and her impressive pout. Despite that, she finally reached up and began to lightly unweave the ribbon wrapped around her ears, letting it fall into her lap as she revealed her heritage. The two furry appendages twitched, individually at first, flicking back and forth, before settling into focus facing towards him.**

**It was fascinating, in a strange way. She had two human ears, and also two faunus ears. Which meant she had four ear canals, and could theoretically hear sounds completely different to how he did… The irony, of course, being that if he asked her, she wouldn't be able to explain it, because she had lived her entire life that way – and didn't know what hearing with just two ears was like.**

**"Doesn't it hurt to wrap them up like that?" He had to ask, somehow finding the girl to be much less threatening now that she had cat ears. Maybe it was racist, but she looked too damn cute.**

"I will cut you," Blake stated as a matter of fact as she shot an unamused look Jaune's way.

"WHY?" he shouted looking at her in terror.

"Can I help?" Neo asked holding up her parasol in one hand and her sign in the other. "I know how to make it hurt the most!"

Glynda raised an eyebrow as she coughed into her hands reminding them all of her presence. "I would not suggest that course of action Miss Belladonna."

**"A little, but you get used to it."**

_**You shouldn't have to.**_** He thought sadly to himself. But who was he to try and change decades of racial hatred between two species? He couldn't even get into a combat school – legitimately, anyway.**

**"Well, there we go." He said, clapping his hands together gently as he picked up his pen and notepad, readying them on his knee. "If you'll lean back on the seat, we can begin."**

**If only it could ever be that easy.**

"Really Blake?" Weiss asked staring at her friend and teammate.

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

"You don't need to for me to see where this is going."

**"I don't need counseling." Miss Belladonna stated, in what she probably thought was a dignified and proud manner – but which to him came across as petulant.**

**"Lay down on the couch Miss Belladonna." Jaune sighed, idly he wondered if it were too late to call Glynda back.**

**"I'm just saying this is a waste of time." The girl complained, getting up and walking agitatedly around the room. "I realized long ago the poor methods they were taking and left of my own accord. Doesn't that prove my sincerity?"**

Blake did her best to ignore Weiss' gaze boring into her skull.

**"To Ozpin and myself perhaps." Jaune attempted to reason, pointing to the frighteningly large stack of paperwork on his desk. It had taken **_**three**_** students to carry that from Ozpin's desk to his – and damn if the man hadn't looked smug about it. "But to the officials and Council, they need to see further evidence. So lay down, and let me help you."**

**"I'm **_**not**_** being psycho-analyzed." The young girl huffed, sitting on the recliner, but not laying down. "I haven't done anything wrong. I won't be treated like a criminal."**

"Miss Belladonna." Glynda let her words hang in the air. "Learn to calm yourself, before it's decided that a _firmer_ hand is necessary for you."

Blake gulped as she nodded frantically.

**"Uncooperative," Jaune commented, idly scratching the word down onto the notepad.**

**"I'm not!" The black-haired girl complained, ears flicking back angrily.**

**"Argumentative." He continued, writing that down as well.**

**"That's Bullsh-!" The girl managed to catch herself, yellow eyes narrowed into slits as she bit her lip to stop the words coming out. Without a single word, she lay back on the seat, crossing her arms and staring determinedly at the ceiling.**

The RW and Y of RWBY shared a look amongst themselves as Blake sulked in her seat. "Is she that stubborn with you too?" Nora asked bluntly getting three nods and shake of the head from her sister team.

_**Make sure the patient is comfortable and at ease.**_** He read off the cheat sheet he'd prepared from the psychology books. Yeah… well, zero out of two wasn't bad, right?**

**"So." He said, with what he hoped was a caring smile plastered on his face. "Why don't you tell me how you first got involved with the White Fang?"**

**"…" She turned her head, choosing to stare at the wall rather than him. Despite the clear refusal, he gave her a few short moments anyway – wondering if it was maybe just nerves and that she might crack and reveal her history if he were patient enough. No such luck.**

"Real mature Blake." Yang sighed as she regarded her partner with a resigned look.

**"Alright… if you don't want to talk about the White Fang, how about what made you think it was a good idea to leave your team and Beacon?"**

**"That was a mistake…" The girl sighed, still refusing to look at him. "I let my emotions get the better of me. It won't happen again."**

_**Finally, some progress.**_** He thought to himself, leaning forward with his pad and pen still in place. He hadn't actually written anything yet, and truth be told had no idea what he was supposed to write. But it made him feel more official.**

**More in control.**

"You're supposed to be taking notes about how she reacts to certain words or questions. As you continue to hold sessions the goal is to slowly create a means for the patient vent their frustrations, identify the underlying cause of their problems, and to identify ways to address the issue in a non-destructive manner." Glynda explained getting appreciative claps from the intellectually inclined members of the audience.

**"I see, and what caused you to experience these emotions?"**

**"There was a… disagreement." The Faunus girl explained, letting out a long sigh. "Weiss and I had an argument, and I revealed I was once part of the White Fang – look, I already told you this at the diner, why are we doing any of this?" She pushed herself back up into a sitting position, ears flicking back as she leveled a hard yellow stare at him.**

**"We're doing this because we have to, Miss Belladonna." He sighed. "I also seem to remember you being a lot more cooperative and dare I say, thankful, last night as well. I went through some of the **_**worst**_** torture of my life for you last night… the least you could do is work with me."**

"I bet he's referring to the nurse." Yang grinned.

"Wouldn't you after being strapped down and given eight aura boosters in one night?" Weiss asked recalling the size of the needle used on Jaune.

"I will have nightmares for weeks because of that," Jaune admitted simply as he sighed tiredly.

**The black-haired girl wilted, ears flattening as she broke eye contact with him first. He hadn't wanted to break out the big guns… the guilt trip, but by the Gods above if she wasn't going to work with him he would use every underhanded tool in his repertoire.**

**He'd learned from the best after all. Heaven help them all if his mother and Roman ever actually met.**

**"I-I'm sorry sir." She said. "I know you were injured helping us against Roman-"**

**"Oh yeah… that too."**

"They must never meet," Jaune begged causing the others in the room to stare at him oddly. "Trust me, you really don't want those two anywhere near each other."

**"Wait? What torture were **_**you**_** referring to? Never mind… I know you helped us there, and I know you saved my education at Beacon too. Really, I'll say it again – thank you. **_**Thank you**_**." She bowed her head as she spoke those words, hands clasped before her.**

**"But?" Jaune guessed, raising one eyebrow.**

**"But I don't need counseling." She finished.**

**And somehow he didn't think the comment `that's what they all say` would go down very well. Honestly, the words reminded him of what the Headmaster had said in the past about Miss Scarlatina, that those who needed help the most were rarely willing to accept it**

"Blake…" Ruby looked worried. "I think you might actually." She muttered.

"Ruby?" Blake asked looking confused.

"Counseling, I mean." The little reaper clarified. "It's pretty obvious that it's a big deal to you, but you still left them behind. The Fang isn't your responsibility anymore."

"Ruby you don't understand…"

"Then help me!" she shouted startling Blake who closed her mouth. "How can we help if you don't talk to us?" Ruby shouted as she grasped Blake's hands.

"Ruby I…" Blake paused seeing a red light coming from Yang's scroll. "Are you recording this?" she asked deafly silent.

"Uh…for posterity," Yang assured her weakly as she hid the device behind her back.

Before things could devolve any further Fox coughed into his hands. "Can you not get into a fight in here please?" he requested getting the three girls to re-take their seats.

**"So where does this leave us?" He had to ask, rubbing one hand down his face. Perhaps a better psychiatrist – or an actual one – would have known how to turn her around, or how to wear her down. But he was nothing but a fake, at more than just counseling. "If you don't accept these sessions then you'll be expelled."**

**"I'll show for the sessions." She said quickly. "I'm just saying… maybe we could say we did the counseling? But don't?"**

**"You want me to lie?" He asked, wondering just how he could manage to sound so offended at the thought. The irony was thick.**

"Gods above…" Weiss moaned

"Welcome to my life, Miss Schnee." Glynda sighed as she palmed her face once more.

**"Not lie…" The girl said, looking uncomfortable. "Perhaps just fail to mention that we didn't go through with it all." She fidgeted nervously, as though just realizing what she was trying to proposition a teacher with. He didn't know if it was bravery on her part, or if she had honestly started to get a handle on his personality, and suspected he would agree.**

**And the saddest part was that he knew he would.**

**Blake had already had the rug pulled from underneath her, the fear of expulsion forcing her into compliance in a way no amount of poor counseling from himself could deliver. And besides, the rift in their team looked to be healed, and unless she had any other crazy secrets then there wouldn't be any real problems.**

Blake shrank as she felt multiple pairs of eyes bore into her. "Please move on." She begged

**Similarly, he had enough troubles to try and work with, what with the field trip the next day and Roman and his mysterious boss after that – not to mention the hours he still had to put in each night to learn the curriculum ahead of time. On top of all that, he didn't have the time or the experience to try and force Blake into spilling her past – especially when he wasn't even sure he would be able to do anything to help her when she did.**

**"I can see how that would benefit you." He spoke carefully. "But how would letting you not have to do the sessions help me?"**

Pyrrha coughed as an image formed in her mind. "Don't mind me." She mumbled when the others turned to look at her.

_**Well, sir… maybe we could do something else…**_** His brain supplied, in a seductive voice, before he shook his head. No way. She considered him an older man, and no matter how sexy she was – and those ears really did nothing to detract from the image – he would never have a chance with someone like her.**

**"Well… maybe we could do something else?"**

_**Oh Gods, do good things happen to bad people after all!?**_

Blake's eyes nearly popped out of her skull as everyone turned to stare at her with wide eyes.

**"Something else?" Jaune managed to get out, voice going a little hoarse at the end.**

**"Sure… like homework, or you could continue with your paperwork?"**

_**No… no, they don't.**_

Blake breathed a sigh of relief as did her teammates, Pyrrha, and Glynda.

**"You get to skip the sessions, but I don't actually get anything I wouldn't have already had from that arrangement." He said, wondering about the ethics of negotiating deals with his own students. But by this point, both of them had already crossed the line of what was really allowed.**

_**Am I becoming like Roman here?**_

**"Well I… I don't know what to offer." Blake frowned, brows drawing close as she looked at her knees in thought. "I suppose I could help you out with things?"**

**Help?**

"Is this where Blake begins her delegated role as Jaune's personal secretary?" Nora asked curiously.

"Sexy Kitty secretary?" Yang asked excitedly causing Jaune to blush while Blake visibly wilted in her seat.

**That word sounded nice… when was the last time anyone had actually helped him with anything? At least for free… In fact, help was what he probably needed the most at this point in time. And if she could reduce his workload by even an hour or so, then that would be an extra hour's training with Neo!**

**Sure it would be immoral… and deceitful and-**

**"Deal." He replied immediately, holding one hand out towards her. The Faunus girl eyed it nervously. "Help me with my paperwork during our sessions, and I'll quit with the counseling." The girl nodded, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "I hope you realize how much faith I'm putting in you Miss Belladonna, if you haven't learned from your mistakes – like you say you have, then I'll be in trouble too."**

Glynda sighed as she recalled how she ended up helping Ozpin. "You poor, poor soul." She even sniffled a little getting concerned looks from Blake.

**"You can call me Blake." She said, nodding to his words. "And yes, I realize sir. I'm not about to run away from my team again, I'll make this work." She looked so serious at those words, yellow eyes once more meeting his own as she nodded.**

**"Then you can call me Jaune while we're working." He grinned, pointing over to his desk. "You can start on your psychological forms, start filling in all your information and details. You'll need to give medical details as well, so make sure it's all correct."**

**"Okay… Jaune." She hesitated next to his seat, before gingerly settling herself into it, looking at the myriad forms arranged on the desk before her. She reached for one and began dutifully filling it in.**

_**Heh… maybe this won't be so bad after all.**_** He considered, even as he picked up the next set of books he needed to read to keep ahead of Oobleck's history class.**

**At the very least, he had his own sexy assistant now. That had to count for something, right?**

"They better not stuff me into a suit just because of this joke." Blake hissed as the others took the time to imagine her in one. Yang and the boys actually turned red in the face while the others hummed in various degrees of appreciation.

**Omake:**

**When he woke that morning, it still took him a few hours to realize something had changed. Perhaps it was the usual morning confusion meddling with his brain, or perhaps because for once, Neo was absent from his room. It was probably also the result of the overly specific nature of that which he had gained. Either way, as Jaune Arc sat ramrod straight in the middle of the cafeteria.**

**He couldn't help but marvel.**

**He, Professor Jaune Arc…**

**Had unlocked his semblance.**

Glynda hummed as she considered it. "I wonder what it would be." She mused aloud. "If this were serious." She added in. "I'm aware these tend to lean more towards comedy."

"Honestly with the way it's going something to help him dodge or lie better," Weiss stated crinkling her nose at the second choice.

"I want to disagree, but it looks that way from here too," Jaune muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

**That was a good thing... definitely. He just… well… he just wished it could have been a little more combat-oriented, or perhaps **_**useful.**_

**"Good morning Professor." Ren greeted as he sat down across from the young adult, Team RVNN following close behind. It wasn't unusual for the young male leader to sit by the Professor – Jaune suspected it was a desperate attempt for male companionship from what was otherwise an estrogen-heavy world for the poor boy.**

"Oh right, Ren is the only guy on his team in this story," Jaune muttered as team RVNN appeared within their minds.

"That… must suck." Nora hugged her best friend tightly.

"Or it could be awesome for him if the girls don't mind their surroundings when changing." Yang countered with a waggle of the eyebrows.

"Even if they were Ren would go out of his way to give them privacy." Nora waved it off. "I should know, we've been together forever, but not together-together."

**"Morning." He greeted back, sipping on some orange juice.**

**"Good morning Jaune," Pyrrha spoke.**

**Good morning future husband****. She also spoke, at the exact same time. Jaune promptly choked on his orange juice, bubbles frothing from the glass as he tried to regain breath whilst trapped in citrus doom.**

Neo's eyes began to sparkle as the dots connected in her mind. "He hears our inner thoughts!" her sign read.

"Oh boy," Weiss muttered

"This should be good." Yang grinned as Pyrrha blushed.

"Future husband huh?" Nora asked nudging Pyrrha with her elbow and a wink.

**"H-hey." He weakly acknowledged as he caught his breath.**

**Oh yes… his semblance was an **_**interesting**_** one alright. And something he had spent more than an hour trying to figure out. Something he had once considered wanting, and no doubt something that many men would give a leg for.**

**He could hear the internal thoughts of women.**

"So…he can hear our every thought?" Ruby asked in concern. "That…sounds bad."

"I suppose it could be a breach of privacy." Ren agreed as he scratched his chin.

**What a weirdo.**** Velvet **_**didn't**_** comment, drawing his eyes to her. ****And now he's looking at me, why is he always staring at me? You see something funny!? You want some!?**** He coughed and broke eye contact with the polite-looking girl. ****Yeah, damn right you look away. You don't mess with the bunny.**

**...Yeah...**

**Anyway...**

Neo snickered as the first years laughed nervously. "Is…that really how she thinks?" Jaune asked in shock.

"I wouldn't know," Glynda assured them with a small smile. "However I do think she's a good girl."

**Another thing was that his semblance seemed to become clearer the more he focused on a single person… almost like how you could better hear a person if you focused on them. He supposed it made a certain amount of sense, even if it was some form of telepathy.**

**Out of curiosity, he looked towards the last remaining woman on the team.**

**The person you are calling is not available right now. Please leave a message after the boop.**

**"Boop." Nora greeted, waving at him.**

**Jaune shivered.**

Nora laughed "That sounds so fun to say!"

"Well, I guess that proves that she really is absent-minded." Yang chuckled at her little joke. Her friends groaned at the joke.

**"Heya guys!" A familiar female voice greeted, as four more figures dropped into the seats around them. The blonde-haired Yang Xiao-Long confidently stole a piece of apple from his own plate, biting into it while giving him a thumbs up. "Hey, Prof."**

**Why, hello there…**

**"Morning Miss Xiao-Long." He smiled back.**

**Tch, why so polite all the time…**

Yang frowned "I'm not that bad." She stated getting looks of disbelief from her teammates.

**"I've told you to call me Yang." She complained dramatically. "We're not even in lessons yet."**

**"Sorry, sorry." Jaune nervously laughed, internally trying to find an **_**off-switch**_** for his semblance. They had to be controllable to some degree right? Otherwise, Glynda would walk around with an armada of random objects orbiting her. "I forgot."**

**Maybe you'll remember my name when I have you screaming it in ecstasy.**

_**Need that off-switch!**__**Like right now!**_

Glynda coughed into her first as Yang turned red in the face. "Perhaps it would be best to control your libido Miss Xiao-Long." Glynda urged

**"So how is Team RWBY?" He asked, hoping to distract the girls from how he was acting – anything that would give him some time alone to try and figure out how this worked."**

**I am well Professor." Blake Belladonna smiled calmly, her ever-present book in hand.**

**Bow down in wonder slave, for you feast thine eyes upon a Queen.**

Blake coughed as the others shot her weird looks.

**"Great…" Jaune mumbled, as his head tilted to one side. Blake…?**

**Such reverence is a well-deserved slave. Down on your knees… kiss my feet.**

"Blake…" Ruby started as she edged away from the Faunus. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Ruby, don't worry I don't actually think like that," Blake assured her though it didn't look like she was completely convinced.

**"And you Miss Schnee?" He desperately asked, begging for some form of salvation.**

**I **_**will**_** have you on your knees slave… just you wait. You**_**will **_**pet me…**

"I'm pretty sure that's Blake, not Weiss." Yang pointed out simply.

"It wasn't made very clear." Fox admitted with a shrug, but I think you're right."

"My word it looks like our students are even more deviant than I feared," Glynda muttered as she folded her arms with a sigh.

**"I am well Professor Arc, thank you for asking. How are you?" The Heiress smiled back, as pristine and composed as she always was.**

**I am **_**sooo **_**bored. **

**"I'm… not bad, thanks."**

**Ooh, he sounds tense. Want to play doctor?**

"Weiss?" Jaune choked out as Weiss blushed and looked away.

**"Are you sure Professor? You sound a little under the weather." The concerned girl asked, looking at him as though checking him for any signs of illness.**

**We should take your temperature. Just bend over Professor~**

**"Haha." He spoke – actually pronouncing the words instead of laughing. "No, I'm – fine. Totally fine."**

Jaune shrank away from Weiss who quickly denied any sort of desire for such debauched acts.

**Damn, right you are.****Yang not-spoke.**

**Petting my ears has been known to produce therapeutic effects…well… for me anyway.**** Blake thought. ****You might want to try it, just in case. **

_**Just ignore it and it will go away… ignore it all.**_** He mentally commanded to himself, reaching for his dessert, a single small chocolate-chip cookie. His necessary bit of sugar for the morning slog.**

Blake shrank as Yang teased her. "I didn't know you liked having your ears pet."

"I don't." Blake denied unconvincingly.

**GIVE ME THE COOKIE!**** A purely demonic voice intoned, rasping like gravestones dragged against gravel. Jaune froze, blue eyes slowly landing on the small cutely-smiling Ruby Rose. Whose eyes were closed as though in pleasure. ****GIVE IT TO ME!**

"Ruby?" Yang asked as she looked at her younger sister.

"Yeah?" Ruby asked unfazed by the demonic voice emanating from within her mind.

**"Would you… like this cookie Ruby?"**

**"Really, can I?" The girl gasped, not waiting for an answer, but instead reaching over and snatching it from his hand. "Thanks, Jaune – you're the best!"**

**COOKIES FOR THE COOKIE GOD!**** She bit down on it, spraying crumbs left and right as she devoured it. ****BWHAHAHA! ABANDON HOPE, THEE WHO'S CHOCOLATE CHIPS PASS THESE GATES! FOR ONLY ETERNAL DIGESTION AWAITS THEE!**

"And I thought Blake's was weird." Weiss hummed with a slightly concerned look

**"I have to go!" He stuttered, climbing to his feet and fleeing from the room to escape those damning voices.**

**"Bye Professor-Jaune!" Nora yelled.**

**Boop!**

"Heh, boop!" Nora echoed as she poked Ren's nose. Despite himself, Ren smiled.

**If he could just make it back to his rooms… yeah, he could sleep it off – tell them he was ill. No! If he heard Tsune's inner thoughts he would never survive! He would… he would lock himself in there. Refuse to speak to anyone other than Peter until this was sorted. Surely they had ways of controlling semblances…**

**Surely other people had problems like this before him!?**

**"Oof-!" Miss Goodwitch let out as he collided with her, knocking the two of them to the floor.**

**Ouch… damn students always running in the halls.**

"Hm…" Glynda glanced at Ruby who shrank under her stare.

**"I'm so sorry!" He apologized, quickly helping her up and picking up some of the work. "I'm so sorry Glynda."**

**"Oh, Jaune, it's you. Don't worry about it." The older woman smiled, waving off his apologies as she accepted the sheets of paper from him.**

**Mine.**

Glynda choked on air as the students looked at her oddly. "That is not my actual thoughts." She denied vehemently.

**"Ah… is the paperwork okay, I didn't damage anything did I?"**

**"No, no. It's fine don't worry about it Jaune." She smiled, hefting the paper higher in her arms. "This is work I'm taking to Ozpin, so it will just get stained with coffee in a few hours anyway."**

**Mine.**

"Er…Professor?" Weiss hesitated as Glynda glared at her. "Never mind."

**"Good luck with that then." Jaune laughed, his beating heart calming down once it became clear that Glynda wasn't as crazy as the other girls were. Anyway, I need to get back to my rooms… just forgot something. I'll see you later?"**

**"Yes, I'll see you at lunch – or dinner if Ozpin tries to dig his heels in." He laughed at her threat before he turned to head back to his own quarters.**

**That ass is mine.**

Neo grinned as she held up her sign "Don't see your name on it!" she smacked Jaune on the ass for good measure.

"Excuse me!?" Jaune yelped as he pulled away from Neo and sat back down beside Pyrrha who glared at the ice-cream themed woman.

_**Hear no evil, see no evil, purge my mind of all evil…**_** Just… get back to his room. And everything would somehow be fixed.**

**"Safe!" Jaune cheered, as he slammed the door behind him and leaned back on it for support. He'd made it back to his room, and without once bumping into any other scary women en route. He still dreaded the twisted horrors he might have found in a certain medic's mind.**

"I'm terrified at what could be going through Tsune's mind," Glynda admitted with a small shiver.

**"…?" Neo asked, which was to say she tilted her head and raised one eyebrow. But after the two of them having shared living space for so many weeks, he had gotten used to imagining the silences too.**

**"…"**

**"Neo? You're back?" He asked uncertainly, watching her nod and grin.**

**"…"**

**"No… it can't be."**

**"…"**

"You know how to be silent within your own mind?" Yang asked Neo who shrugged her shoulders.

Writing up her answer. Neo held it up for all to see. "Nope just think …"

"So you were fucking with him." Neo wiggled her hand around in a 'probably' gesture.

**"How can you be mute in your own mind too!?" He cried, all sanity having fled as he collapsed to the floor in a dead faint. Neo watched it with wide eyes, her mouth open in surprise as she crept closer to her unconscious roommate.**

**The hell's up with him?**

**"...?"**

The students all laughed as Jaune blushed a bit. Glynda smiled as she stood up. "This was entertaining, but I should get back to work." She informed them as the students stood up as well.

"We should get some training in and grab some food." Ruby and Jaune stated as they checked over their teams.

Neo stretched her arms over her head before gesturing towards the door herself.

"Alright, I eagerly await your return," Fox called out as he bowed his head. Once everyone had left he glanced back at the pile of letters they had moved to the corner of the room. "I swear to all the gods above that this story doesn't get this many reviews."

Meandering over he picked one up and looked it over. "Ah I see…" he muttered, "Hm…use a viewing party as a means to show snippets of ideas that the boss wasn't able to flesh out into true worlds." Fox hummed a little more as he looked around the room.

"I might need to renovate soon."


	13. Reading chapter 13

Fox hummed as Teams RWBY and JNPR re-entered the room. "Welcome back" he greeted before two new faces poked their heads inside. "Ah, you must be miss Adel, and miss Scarlatina."

Coco and Velvet blinked in surprise as they entered the room following their two junior teams. "You know us?" Coco asked lowering her shades to get a better look at the being.

"Yes, I'm quite familiar with most individuals in your world." He explained as he turned his attention onto the two first-year teams. "But first…" he trailed off as he quickly pulled out a paper fan and whacked everyone but Jaune on the head. "Apparently some higher beings watching this room think you're all bullying Jaune, so tone it a down a little."

"Really?" Jaune asked in surprise as he rubbed the back of his head. "Are you guys?"

Yang scowled as she rubbed the spot Fox had hit. "Unless you count teasing as bullying, no _I_ didn't."

Fox hummed "I wouldn't think too much of it. Some simply can't accept that this story we're reading depicts one of Mr. Arc's lies being taken far too seriously and the spiral out of control such events usually take."

"Meaning?" Coco asked

"This story is literally about Jaune making a poor decision and then trying to fix it while not admitting the truth to anyone. And things tend to go worse as a result." Ren explained getting an understanding nod from the fashionista.

"So…what are our roles in it?" Velvet asked as she looked around. "You guys mentioned that I played an important role."

Weiss nodded her head. "First let's begin with that due to an injury you got held back a year." She explained causing Coco to grit her teeth and Velvet to gasp. "You were put on team RVNN with Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha, with Pyrrha as your partner."

Coco sized up the Mistral Champion who smiled awkwardly. "Hello" she greeted looking for something to break up the tension.

Weiss coughed bringing attention back onto her. "And it seems like your team dynamics with your new team aren't developing very well."

"I see…" Velvet's ears drooped a little at that bit of information.

**Forever Fall was a beautiful place. Untouched by humans and unspoiled by industry, the land had been allowed to grow unhindered. And it had flourished.**

**Named so for its appearance, the trees crowned with dark red and orange leaves, as though trapped in perpetual autumn. Loose petals and leaves rained around them, drifting through the air before they would come to settle on the ground, crunching beneath their feet as they marched between the trees.**

**Perhaps it was the presence of the Grimm themselves which had created this beauty. An unusual thought to have, but there was no denying that without humans interfering, nature had been able to fully claim this land.**

"Oh, I love Forever Fall!" Velvet gushed recalling her own field trip to the area with her team.

"Didn't you fall into a pile of sap jars and get covered in the stuff?" Coco asked remembering it fondly.

"N-no!" Velvet denied with a bright red blush on her face. The two younger teams laughed a little at the imagery.

**"Make no mistake students," Glynda said from the front of their procession, "Forever Fall is as dangerous as it is beautiful." Jaune rolled his eyes from the back of the group, where he had been assigned to make sure none of the students lagged behind or got lost. The Grimm pretty much owned all of Remnant that was not within the walled cities of the four Kingdoms, so claiming the area was dangerous? That really should have gone without saying…**

"That bit did strike me as odd when she said that," Blake admitted as she scratched the back of her neck.

"Sometimes you have to state the obvious," Pyrrha explained with a wry smile. "Some people lack common sense after all."

"Was that a jab at me?" Jaune asked looking hurt.

"Not at all you lack forethought, not common sense."

"Thanks… I think?"

"It means you just need to work on thinking before acting Arc." Weiss huffed as she rolled her eyes a little. "Acting without thinking is a good way to get hurt in our line of work. Think fast act fast."

"Oh…that makes sense."

**That said, they had landed via Bullhead over twenty minutes ago and still had yet to actually see any Grimm. Of course, there were signs; trees knocked over, tracks – the usual. But no news was good news as far as he was concerned.**

**If only the entire day could go that smoothly.**

_**And here I forgot to check my horoscope.**_

Velvet giggled a little while Jaune laughed bashfully. "Superstitious?" she asked cheerfully.

"Well, …they are a little fun sometimes." He admitted with a chuckle of his own.

**"Right then students," Glynda stopped the group, letting the teenagers fan out before her as they listened to her instructions, "our task here today is to gather sap from the trees here. The sap has various purposes, from medicine to food – and is needed by Professor Peach. Any questions?"**

"Have any of you met Professor Peach?" Ruby asked while tilting her head to the side. "I don't think I have."

"I think she's the survivalist instructor." Velvet hummed as she tried to recall if she had ever met the teacher.

**"Yes," Jaune said with a raised eyebrow, holding one hand up to the muffled laughter of the students.**

**"Professor Arc?" The blonde woman acknowledged, nodding to him.**

**"Who on Remnant is Professor Peach?" And why hadn't he met this teacher if they apparently worked at Beacon too? In fact, how did what amounted to three teachers and their boss run an entire school?**

"That…is a very good question," Nora muttered as she looked around for support.

"Now that I think about it I've only ever had classes with Port, Oobleck, and Goodwitch," Coco muttered as she placed a hand on her chin.

"We…really need to get Professor Goodwitch a gift basket or something," Ruby muttered feeling sorry for the teachers who all must be in serious need of a vacation.

"Oh, if you're getting her something like that to make sure to get some cheesecakes." Velvet urged with a smile. "She loves strawberry cheesecakes."

"Good to know, thank you Velvet." Weiss smiled as Velvet beamed with pride at having been able to help out her juniors. Coco simply smiled as she shook her head at her friend's antics.

**That really explained why he was so overworked as a support teacher…**

**"Any other questions?" The Deputy said without answering him. "Good, off with you then – and **_**be careful.**_**" The students began to meander away from them, sticking to their respective teams as they carried numerous empty glass bottles. After a minute or two, the two of them were left alone.**

**"So are you going to tell me who Peach is?" **

**"We do not speak that name." The woman said, looking around in a manner that if he didn't know her better… he might think it was nervousness. "To have already said it once… but we are far enough away from Beacon."**

Ren frowned "That…does not bode well."

"Talk about tension builders." Yang chuckled

**"I… don't understand."**

**"Perhaps it is best that way."**

**"Seriously though… who is Professor Peach?"**

**"There is no Professor by that name," Glynda said firmly, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.**

**"But you just sai-"**

**"There is **_**no**_** Professor, by that name." She said once more, turning to face him as her green eyes bored into his own. Her glasses seemed to flash in the low light.**

The teens all laughed a little seeing the old gleaming glasses trope being used. "Seems whoever made this was influenced by Mistralian cartoons."

"You're not wrong, but not right either," Fox explained simply. "Mistral itself is based on an existing country from my creator's world."

"Whoa… talk about meta stuff." Jaune whispered to Pyrrha who giggled.

**"Who was I talking about again?" Jaune said nervously, stepping back and holding his hands before his face in surrender. Glynda nodded once, before looking away. "A-anyway, what should we be doing about the students?"**

**"I will wait here." The stern woman frowned as she found an uncomfortable-looking rock to sit on. "In the event that something goes wrong, it would be best to have a clear area the students know they can retreat to. If I move around, we run the risk of them not being able to find help if they are in danger."**

**"And me?" He doubted his job would be as easy, otherwise what was the point of him coming with her in the first place?**

"Probably walk around to make sure the groups aren't causing trouble for each other." Yang waved it off as the others shrugged their shoulders.

"Honestly that sounds about right for a teacher's assistant," Ruby muttered as Jaune smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

**"I was hoping you would keep an eye on some of the groups." She said, pushing a stray lock of blonde hair from before her face. She looked tired and he felt an immediate wave of sympathy for her. He had been up at five to prepare for this, and yet chances were she had been awake even earlier – handling the paperwork she would miss out on for the day. As Peter had said, handling all the incoming transfer students was putting a strain on them all. "Just make sure they don't do anything too stupid and shout for me if any Grimm appear."**

**Well. That couldn't be too hard, could it?**

"Jinxed it." Blake smiled teasingly as Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Har, har." He groused before smiling at her. "At least I'm not the one serving an undisclosed amount of detention for massive property damage."

"Oh burn!" Yang cackled as Coco looked to Weiss for an explanation.

"You remember the dock incident?" she asked instead, getting two nods from the older students. "In this story, it went a little worse, and as punishment Blake has to attend counseling sessions with Jaune in order to fix her issues regarding the White Fang."

"Oh…I take it that it didn't go to plan?" Coco smirked as Blake and Jaune continued to needle each other.

"About as well as any of Jaune's plans in this story so far."

"So not at all." Velvet guessed.

"He gets a cat-eared assistant out of it so that's debatable."

**"Ruby, you need to be more responsible." Jaune watched from afar as Weiss berated the smaller leader, with his back pressed up against a tree. He'd already done some rounds of the other groups, but this one was by far the largest, and also had the people he was most familiar within it.**

**"Now, now Weiss," Pyrrha said, playing the mediator between the two girls, "Ruby didn't mean to spill sap on you, right?"**

**"Of course I didn't!"**

Weiss shout Ruby a look who instantly denied any fault and hid behind her sister who rolled her eyes.

**Jaune watched it all with a vague smile on his lips, glad to see Pyrrha was getting on with the two of them. He hadn't really had the chance to speak with her privately since she came to him for help, but clearly, that was a good thing in this case. Ruby and Weiss seemed more than happy to accept the third unofficial member of their partnership, and Yang and Blake seemed cool with it too.**

**Idly his eyes slipped over to Team RVNN, who weren't able to show the same solidarity.**

**The two childhood friends; Ren and Nora, were together of course. But with all the other groups huddled in fours or fives, they made for a lonely little duo – or would have, were it not for the beaming grin the ginger-haired girl sported.**

Nora frowned a little. "It's great Ren and I are still good buddies…" she trailed off.

"It doesn't feel right not seeing us as a full team?" Ren guessed with a small smile.

"That's it!"

Velvet frowned. "I take it we don't get along?" that didn't sound right. JNPR were good people why wouldn't her other self try to get along with them?

"It's more…that you tend to ditch them in order to hang out with CVFY" Jaune explained. "Pyrrha tried to build a partnership with you, but you wanted to hang out with your old team more. Ren was content to let things stand as he and Nora did their own things."

Ren winced a little realizing that his team's problems were largely his fault for not addressing them early on.

**Still, that team was not the team it should be. And he idly wondered if that was his fault.**

**When Pyrrha had come to him with her problems, the issues she had been having with Velvet Scarlatina, it had seemed the obvious solution to try and find the girl a friend outside of her team. And it had worked, sort of. Sure, Pyrrha had found two new friends – and that was good. But the problem hadn't actually been solved – or even mitigated in any way.**

**All they had effectively done was to ignore it. Let it fester and grow.**

**Counseling was **_**hard**_**…**

"I can imagine." Weiss sighed and shook her head sadly.

"Yeah, not only do you need to communicate, you have to address every little issue that's involved because there's no telling what causes what in a situation like this." Coco winced recalling the few times she had to play mediator in their first year.

**He supposed they should have identified the problem and worked to fix that, rather than come up with a roundabout solution. In fact, maybe the situation would have been better had he not gotten involved at all. Pyrrha's bitterness might have built up until she actually said or did something, maybe fixing the team that way.**

**Instead, everyone had given up.**

**Pyrrha Nikos had given up on her team. Instead, choosing to spend as much time as possible with a different team. Ironically much like Velvet did with her old one. And Ren and Nora seemed to have done the same, content to spend time with each other rather than try and heal the cracks in Team Raven.**

_**What a messed up team.**_** He sighed, rubbing one hand over his tired eyes.**

Pyrrha, Ren, Nora and Velvet all winced "It's worse that I can't say with confidence that I'd handle it better if it were me." Pyrrha admitted getting hesitant nods from her friends.

**Speaking of... where was the problem girl? He was sure he'd seen all eight of them heading over this way initially, but once he'd caught up with them the number had already fallen to seven. Her old team wasn't in the area, so there was no way she could be off spending time with them.**

**"Hey teach!" Yang appeared before him, a pink bottle in hand. Her grin was as wide as ever, though she looked a little more energetic than usual. It looked like the lot of them were pleased to have a chance to be out of classes. "Wanna take a load off and share some sap?"**

Jaune already felt sick and he wasn't even in the same room as the sap. "That's right! You're allergic to that stuff aren't you?" Nora asked turning on her leader.

"Yeah…" he grunted.

"Shame, I really like it."

"You can have it, just make sure none of it touches my food." Jaune allowed as he covered his mouth. "Just the memory makes me feel sick."

**"Yang." He said evenly as he nodded a greeting to her. Standard Operating Procedure when she was grinning at him was to stay calm and speak in a bored voice. Eyes always above the shoulders, below lay tantalizing madness. "I think taking a load off suggests you were doing any work in the first place."**

**"Something we all know you won't be doing." Blake strolled up to the two of them, another two jars in her hand – both filled with pink sap.**

Coco glanced at Yang who grinned like a cat staring at an open canary cage. "I can respect a man with morals."

"He's just terrified of getting fired and then incarcerated for flirting with a minor." Yang grinned as Jaune sank into his chair.

"But you're the same age…"

"They don't know that in this story. He lied and said he's Twenty, so as far as anyone else in the story cares he's older than them. Plus, he's a teacher now." Ya

ng cackled.

"All the same…it can't be easy for a guy not to let his eyes wander down." Yang shrugged her shoulders and conceded the point.

**"Ugh," Yang grunted, "both my teacher and my partner are such bores. We've already got four between the two of us. We only need two, so let's crack some open and have a break. I've heard good things about this stuff."**

**"It's supposed to be delicious," Blake agreed, "and we do have more than enough I suppose."**

**Was it a bad sign that he didn't even consider agreeing until Blake agreed? Probably so… she was like his… mini-Glynda or something. So while normally he'd have just said no to everything Yang suggested, just to be safe – if Blake said the stuff was safe to drink then it probably was.**

**Also, he'd seen Nora drinking it without too many side effects.**

"I see how it is." Yang huffed as Blake smirked.

"I'm just more trustworthy than you are Yang." Blake teased.

"You're still a walking fetish."

"Rude."

Coco leaned closer to Velvet. "She's not wrong." Velvet nodded lightly not wanting to risk being heard by her fellow Faunus.

**"I guess it couldn't hurt…" He said as he pushed himself off the tree trunk. The blonde girl whooped loudly while the faunus simply rolled her eyes in good humor. Yang grabbed one of his hands, pulling him towards the other three. He tried to ignore how warm and surprisingly soft her hand was on his, or the temptation to curl his fingers around her own.**

**She'd definitely notice, the little minx.**

"What's a minx?" Ruby asked curiously as the others in the room coughed loudly in response.

"It's used to refer to a young flirty woman," Fox explained since it honestly wasn't that bad.

"Oh, …so basically Yang."

"Yes."

"Hey…" Yang whined

"If the shoe fits Yang." Weiss giggled

**"I've got him, girls!" Yang boasted as they reached the rest of Team RWBY plus one. Ruby waved at him cutely while Weiss nodded a polite greeting.**

**"You're going to be joining us, Professor, that's wonderful," Pyrrha said warmly as she settled onto the ground, folding her knees beneath herself. Even though he knew he'd probably made a mistake in the counseling, he still couldn't feel any remorse for the happiness she visibly showed. She really was more comfortable in Team RWBY.**

**"Only if you've collected enough." He tried to keep his expression stern, but couldn't help the small smile that broke out when the girls all held out their completed bottles, with a few extras. Looked like they'd been prepared – and honestly, where was the harm really? It was a glorious day and their first trip outside of Beacon. There was no reason to ruin it all by being a complete disciplinarian.**

"Man, could you imagine how cool it would be to just chill with a teacher on occasion?" Coco asked leaning back in her seat.

"Eh…definitely depends on the teacher," Jaune muttered as he recalled trying to keep up with Oobleck or listening to Port.

**He wondered if that was another reason Glynda had chosen not to actively watch over any of them. Give them a chance to stretch their legs without having to feel like it was a lesson.**

**The five girls started sharing the jars between them, with Weiss bringing out a few metal mugs from their bags. But of course, Team RWBY had only brought four.**

**"Eh, it's fine," Yang waved her hand dismissively, letting the fourth mug go to Pyrrha, "Bottoms up." She tipped the glass jar towards her mouth before taking a short sip. "Hmm… it's so good~"**

"It really is." Yang sighed recalling the flavor on her tongue. "Maybe we should ask if we can head out there on our own time?" she suggested getting excited nods from Ruby and Nora.

**"This is incredible…" Weiss said in surprise, holding the mug away from her and giving it another sniff before helping herself to more. "And to think this comes straight from the tree…"**

**"So good…" Ruby echoed wistfully, wiping some pink droplets from her chin. All five girls made sounds of appreciation as they drank, leaving him feeling somewhat out of place. He dreaded to imagine what someone might think if they heard - but didn't see - what was happening.**

Velvet giggled at the thought. "Really strong influence of those Mistralian Cartoons."

"They're not _that_ bad." Pyrrha defended her homeland.

"No, just clichéd."

**"Don't worry Prof," Yang said, purple eyes catching his above the rim of the jar, "I'll share." She pulled away from the jar slowly, dragging her lips against the rim before giving it a final lick. With a devilish smirk, she rotated the glass jar and handed it to him, so that the spot where she had just drunk from was facing him. "Enjoy~"**

**"Thanks." He croaked, throat suddenly uncomfortably dry. Challenge or not, he still made sure to rotate the glass a little so that he wouldn't fall for her less-than-subtle trap. No matter how much he wished to, and oh Gods, he **_**really**_** did.**

_**Ask her if you can taste it from her lips.**_

"Oh Jaune!" Yang pretended to swoon as she leaned into him.

Suddenly Yang felt an iron grip on the crown of her head. "Yang?" Pyrrha questioned with an eerie smile.

"Ah-ha, ha…" Yang began to sweat as Pyrrha's grip started to tighten. "I'll stop…" as she was released Yang hastily scooted away from Jaune who smiled wryly at his partner.

**Rather than face those errant thoughts he tipped the bottle back, closing his eyes to savor the promised nectar within.**

**Grbblll…..**

**A stray droplet of pink slid down his petrified chin, dangling there for a moment before falling to the grass. More followed soon after, dribbling down his chin as his entire body locked up.**

Jaune winced as did his team who remembered the incident.

**"Jaune?" Pyrrha seemed to ask from a great distance. One blue eye twitched weakly. With a long shudder, he removed the jar from his lips, placing it gently on the grass. One deep breath. And then another.**

_**Calm…**_** He thought to himself, releasing a long sigh. **_**I am calm; I am a tiny island of relaxation in an ocean of calm… with little peace-fishes swimming around…**_

**"Hey, you've got some on your lips," Yang said with a leer, leaning forward to give a tantalizing view down her top. "Want me to lick it off?"**

"Smooth Yang…" Blake muttered realizing where things were headed.

"He…looks sick," Ruby muttered as Coco snickered.

**"Grbl." He managed to say, one hand reaching up to plug his mouth before he could really embarrass himself. With stifled movements he pushed himself to his feet, slumping to a nearby bush before vomiting out his breakfast in loud retching noises.**

**Back at the group, Yang could only blink, even as their teacher continued to projectile vomit into the shrubbery.**

**"Blurghhh!" He said. Sort of.**

**"Well," Blake said with a small grin, twisting one lock of black hair around her finger, "I guess we know what he thinks of a kiss from you Yang."**

**"Oh bugger off!" Yang groused as the others burst into laughter.**

"Way to break a girl's heart Vomit boy." Yang drawled as she shot him a look.

"Heh, good one." Coco snickered while Velvet patted the young leader on the back in sympathy.

**Jaune lost himself in the woods after emptying his stomach. Certainly, he wasn't going to head back to that team after nearly throwing up on them. Would it be possible for maybe one second, to **_**not**_** do something to completely turn girls off him? No? Well, fuck you fate.**

**"Bah," he said, wiping his tongue on one sleeve in an effort to rid himself of the taste, "throw me a bone here life… seriously."**

**Seemed he could add an allergy to red tree sap to the list of things that made him violently ill. How nice.**

"You didn't throw up on them so it's probably fine." Ren pointed out.

"Keyword: probably." Jaune pointed out.

_**I'll just wander around a little before meeting back up with Glynda.**_** He mused as he spat out a little more foul-tasting saliva. Then they could get back to Beacon and he could start the arduous task of forgetting such an embarrassing event had ever happened.**

**He didn't even have any sessions with Blake planned. The evening, for all intents and purposes, was to be a lazy one. A gloriously lazy evening where he would catch up on all the sleep he had been missing. Because the following day was going to suck. **_**Royally.**_

"Oh yeah, meeting with Roman Torchwick and his boss," Ruby muttered as the two second-year students shared a look.

"Excuse me?" Coco asked

"Oh yeah, Roman is kind of how Jaune got into Beacon in this one," Ruby explained simply getting incredulous looks from Coco and Velvet.

**Damn Roman and his boss or whatever. In his mind, he could already imagine some hugely overweight woman, dressed in a pinstripe suit as she smoked from one of those long cigarette holders. A bunch of suited goons at her side.**

**His heart told him he should reject whatever she said.**

**His brain told him his heart would stop if he did.**

_**Damned if I do, damned if I don't.**_

"Is she?" Velvet asked curiously.

"Well no, in fact, she's supposed to be some supermodel level looks apparently" Jaune muttered getting a raised eyebrow from Coco.

**That pretty much summed up the last month or so really.**

**Maybe it would be better if he left? It wasn't the first time he had thought of it, as an employee he could quit at any time without anyone being the wiser. Move back home and find another job, his parents likely wouldn't even mind. Staying at Beacon was becoming increasingly dangerous for him, and with the introductions of a criminal underworld as well – he was just drifting along, almost waiting for disaster to strike.**

**Something he couldn't dodge his way out of, Neo's training or not.**

"He won't." Weiss guessed.

"No, I don't think he will." Pyrrha agreed.

"Wouldn't be much of a story if he did." Yang grinned.

**Letting out a deep sigh he trudged on, pushing through red leaves and branches. It was as he parted the next ones that he paused, letting them come back across to hide his face.**

**His little problem child; Velvet Scarlatina. Alone, as she so often was, though dutifully drilling into the tree and filling her glass jar with sap. She worked with muted determination, so focused on the tree that even with her advanced hearing she wasn't able to sense him.**

**She didn't look upset. Nor bored, nor lost or confused. Instead, she simply toiled away, eyes vacant.**

**It was an unbelievably sad image.**

Velvet's ears drooped at the sight while Coco pulled the bunny into a one-armed hug.

_**I could have helped her… why won't she come see me?**_** He thought to himself, settling down to watch her. Thoughts of what others might say if they saw a teacher stalking a student like he was flashed briefly through his mind before he dismissed them.**

**Ozpin had told him before that those who needed help the most rarely accepted it. But this was surely beyond a joke. Wasn't there a point at which he could force someone to take it?**

"No, there actually isn't." Weiss shook her head. "Counseling is only effective when it is sought after."

**"What do we have here?" A male voice cajoled, as four figures strolled into the clearing. Jaune tensed slightly, before letting out a breath. Team Cardinal, the very ones who bullied her the worst. Or at least, those who bullied her with the least subtlety. They were open with their cruelty, though he couldn't decide if that was better or worse than those who simply whispered insults and rumors behind her back.**

**A girl held back a year didn't have many friends, and there were certainly enough people to make her life miserable for having apparently failed so badly. The nail that stuck out…**

"Aw, I guess that side story a while back wasn't part of the main storyline," Nora whined having really wanted that to be true.

"Side story?" Velvet asked curiously as she tried to not focus on CRDL's actions.

"It was where Cardin was raised to be mean to Faunus by his father. Cardin would receive praise whenever he bullied a Faunus until bullying them was second nature, something he did on instinct rather than desire." Pyrrha explained. "He went to Jaune to try to fix it."

"Did it work?"

"Ah…not really."

**Should he go out there and disperse them? Or would that just serve to antagonize her further? She already refused to meet his eye and otherwise ignored his presence in lessons. He didn't want to make the situation worse.**

**To his shame, he didn't move. Instead, watching as the four males gathered around the faunus, whispering things to her even as she steadfastly focused on the tree. Whatever they were saying continued for a while, before with a shrug at her lack of response – they seemed to back off.**

_**Ignore the bully and they go away?**_** He thought to himself, before shaking his head. That advice from his mother had been a bit of a white lie as well, she was good at those. He'd been bullied enough to know they didn't really feed off just your attention. Ignoring what was happening just made you an easier target.**

Velvet slumped in her seat as Coco frowned. "I think I might need to have a word with CRDL"

"Coco no!"

"Coco yes." Coco countered.

**True to those prophetic words, the four hovered behind her smirking and grinning. When Velvet finished filling her first jar she placed it on the floor beside her feet and took her second. Jaune shook his head when one of the boys, Sky he believed, walked up and took the filled jar, leaving his own empty one in its place.**

**He made a note to remember the boy's face. Even if he couldn't intervene, he could report it to Glynda.**

**Velvet chose to ignore it again. Not removing her gaze from the bark in front of her as she filled another jar and deposited it. He knew she was aware of what was happening, for she reached down and took the same jar Sky had placed a moment ago. Her body visibly flinched when another of the teens reached down and took her second jar of sap, muffled laughter echoed between the trees.**

Ruby couldn't take it anymore and worriedly wrapped Velvet up in a hug surprising the older girl before quickly patting the young reaper's back, assuring her that she was fine.

**"Do something…" He whispered, shaking his head sadly. "If you won't let me interfere, then prove them wrong."**

**Her third jar disappeared as soon as she had filled it. This time bodily taken from her hand as an empty one was placed in it. The girl seemed to shake, perhaps in fear, but after a moment calmed herself. Filling the final jar.**

**Jaune watched as Cardin coughed loudly, stepping in front of her with one hand held out. His grin was taunting as he looked down on the smaller girl.**

"He dies." Coco intoned as she scowled.

"Coco!" Velvet screamed worried that the fashionista actually would kill the bully.

**"Well?" The taller man said, stood before her with one hand held out as though to accept his due. Velvet's brown eyes remained firmly fixed to the floor, though she could make out the pink sap oozing lazily in the bottle she held.**

**"Well, what…?" She whispered, shaking slightly. Her team… her real team, CFVY. Her injury, taking the exams again, a new team, reluctance, anger. Helplessness.**

**And now this?**

**"Well give it over." The bully said, letting out a booming laugh as stood there. "You've got my sap, I'd like it back so we can hand it in."**

All of the Beacon students in the room frowned at the bully's actions. "Despicable," Weiss muttered angrily as Blake clenched her fists at her sides.

**"Your sap?" She asked quietly, fingers clenching around the hard glass. She could see her own reflection in it. Frightened, uncertain.**

**She hated it.**

**"Yeah, mine. So give it."**

**"Okay." She smiled, face finally lifting to meet his own. If he seemed off-put by her sudden change in attitude then he hid it well. "You want it? Here you go!"**

**For the record. Velvet Scarlatina would remember the look on his face before the sap hit him until the end of her days. The glass shattered loudly on his armor, tinkling to the ground as pink stained his armor.**

"Ah…" Jaune muttered recalling how his own experience went with Cardin at Forever Fall. "That looks familiar."

"Hm?" Velvet asked curiously.

"Ah…I threw a jar of sap at Cardin too." Coco grinned and slapped Jaune on the back.

"Good on you Arc." She cheered happily causing Velvet to roll her eyes.

**It only took a few seconds however for the realization of what she had done to sink in, even as the grin sank from her own face. And fury dawned on his.**

**"Not the right move freak." He hissed, throwing a punch towards her face.**

**Perhaps if she were a lesser student she might have been knocked down. Cruelly beaten and humiliated before them. But Velvet Scarlatina was no lesser student. She was a proud member of Team CFVY, or what had once been…**

**Gritting her teeth she ducked beneath the clumsy strike, frustration boiling up within her as she pushed her way into his guard. This racist, cruel, barbaric… **_**asshole!**_** How dare he do that to her? How dare he!?**

"Go get him, Bun!" Coco cheered as Ruby pumped her fists happily.

Velvet blushed and pulled her ears over her face.

**"Enough!" She shrieked, pushing him back with both hands before performing an acrobatic backflip, catching him below the chin with one foot. The teen sailed up and away from her, crashing loudly to the ground in a cloud of dust. She continued her own flip, landing crouched with one hand planted to support herself. "I have had more than enough of your… of your… **_**shit**_**!"**

"WOO!" Yang cheered at the movie like movements.

**The one with the Mohawk, she'd never bothered to remember the names of her tormentors, he reacted fastest – reaching down to draw a set of daggers from his cargo pants. He hesitated, clearly uncertain what he was meant to do, perhaps reluctant to use them on another student. She used that brief moment to cross the distance between them, kicking off from the ground and delivering a devastating drop-kick to his chest, using all of her prestigious leg strength from her faunus heritage. He flew back, slamming into a tree with a loud gasp before slumping at the base. Still conscious, but unwilling to face her.**

**"Every day," she said, whipping around to regard the last two – who backed away with their hands held before them, "it's the same stuff. Freak, idiot, failure. Well, I'm not willing to put up with it anymore!"**

Weiss hummed as she tilted her head in thought. "I suppose sometimes the best way to solve things is the simplest."

_**Everyone has a breaking point babe.**_** Coco had once said to her while laughing. **_**One day I want to see yours.**_

_**I should still be with you guys…**_

**"A-alright we get it!" One of them stammered. Dove, Sky? Who even cared? "Just let us get Cardin and we'll g-g-" He went silent, eyes wide as he stared at her.**

"Huh… even the Ursa part's the same." Jaune muttered impressed despite himself.

"Wait this happened to you too?" Velvet asked in surprise.

"Yeah…"

**"Behind you!" The one by the tree shouted urgently, giving her just the warning she needed to fling herself to the left. Her ears twitched towards the growling behind her, even as she caught the Ursa's large paw directly to the chest, sending her slamming back into some bushes.**

**"Ursa!" One of the boys screamed. Pandemonium erupted, shouting, stamping feet and clanging metal – all from out of her sight as she lay on her back, feet propped up against a tree. A quick glance at her scroll, ingrained into her from training with Yatsu, showed that her aura was still good – just skirting on the edge of yellow.**

**But damn if that hadn't hurt.**

"Yeah…getting hit by an Ursa sucks." Yang agreed, recalling her own phantom pains from her Signal years.

"Try getting flung around like a ragdoll by a Deathstalker," Jaune grumbled as he remembered Initiation.

**Letting out a frustrated grunt she pushed herself back to her feet, before staggering back towards the Grimm that had caught her so off-guard. Fox would have had her head for that lapse in awareness. Perhaps he still would when she made it back to Beacon and retold the story. Yatsu would shake his head, wise words, and a small smile. While Coco would just sit there, watching them all with that fond expression that said this was **_**her**_** team, and that **_**no one**_** could interfere.**

**That CFVY was family. No matter their race.**

"Damn right we are!" Coco cheered as she hugged Velvet tightly. "Nobody touches this Bun but me!"

"Coco!" Velvet squeaked when Coco slapped her ass.

**"Get back!" A lone male voice shouted before another sound of metal clanging against bone was heard. Brows drawing together she forced herself into action. She cleared the treeline in a single bound, just in time to see the Ursa – large even for Grimm standards – knock Cardin's mace aside, leering over him with murderous intent. Her brown eyes scanned the scene, before landing on the boy's sap-stained chest.**

_**It's attracted to the sap!**_** She realized, even as a more haunting notion came to her. **_**The sap I threw on him… he's going to die.**_

_**Because of me.**_

**He was a bully. A cruel man who had made her life miserable from the start, first through racism – and then through the - oh so crueler method of taunting her over her failures. She knew she was a failure, if she had been better then she'd still be with her real team. But it hurt to have that rubbed in your face every day.**

**She hated him. Truly hated him.**

"At least now we can hear your actual thoughts Velvet." Blake smiled as Velvet covered her face with her hands once more.

_**You care about every little thing, little rabbit.**_** Yatsu had once said, as the two of them sought to heal an injured bird. Despite their efforts, it had died two days later. **_**It is not in the results that your worth is measured little rabbit, but in what you seek to achieve.**_

**She hated him. Yet she was Velvet Scarlatina, and that knowledge was what had her feet driving into the beast's monstrous face.**

"Typical Yatsu speak." Velvet giggled as Coco rolled her eyes at the reminder of the big guy.

**"Your prey's here monster." She said, grinding her heels into its cheek as it reared back from the blow. She landed agilely, skipping to the side of its retaliatory blow before using the beast's own elbow as a platform, leaping back up towards its face. "But watch out. This prey kicks." The Ursa roared in pain as her aura-enhanced blow pushed it off balance, sending it tumbling to the ground in an explosion of leaves.**

**"Y-you saved me?" The boy behind her said, still laying on the floor with a terrified expression on his features. "Why?"**

**"Because I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't try to help an injured little bird." She said back, grinning as she thought of Yatsu. Of crying in his arms when the poor chick hadn't survived. Of promising she would never again try if all that resulted was pain.**

**Of him convincing her otherwise.**

Coco smirked, "I remember that I also remember Yatsu crying just as much as you were." Velvet blushed as the others quickly pestered Coco for details.

**"Now get out of here." She said quickly, shooing the boy away as he climbed to his feet and fled after his friends.**

**She shook her head, racing towards the recovering Ursa. Though downed it was still strong, its giant paws tearing up great chunks of soil and mast as it dragged itself ponderously to its feet. The spines on its back seemed to shimmer in the midday sun.**

**That looked promising…**

"Huh… is that one an alpha?" Ruby questioned with a head tilt.

"Looks like it." Coco nodded her head as the Velvet within the book charged the Ursa.

**The Grimm spotted her approach, swiping one poor horizontally across the ground. She skipped up onto it, balancing perfectly on the limb even as it was in motion. Once the swing had brought her nearly full-circle she hopped from the arm onto the beast's shoulder, almost casually walking across its back towards those great spikes of bone.**

**Her melee combat tended to be fine against most Grimm, but this one was bigger than usual, not to mention armored. It was the kind of thing Yatsu would handle, or if mass destruction was called for – Coco. Without them, she'd need to improvise.**

**Easy enough.**

"What about your weapon?" Ruby asked with sparkling eyes.

"Ah, those are last resorts." Velvet smiled softly as she knew of the younger girl's weapon obsessions.

**"Raghh!" She shouted, slamming her leg into the bone spike with all her strength. Pain lanced up her weakened leg, her teeth gritting in pain – but she pushed onwards, delivering a second and third solid strike to its base. On the third strike, the bone cracked, the spike coming loose. The Ursa roared in rage, rearing back so powerfully that she lost her footing, though she still had the presence of mind to catch the bone spear on the way down.**

**She didn't need to be Pyrrha sodding Nikos to know how to use one.**

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pyrrha questioned a little defensively.

"You are known for using a spear." Ren pointed out placatingly.

**The beast roared once, the sound echoing off the trees before it readied itself and rushed towards her. She lowered her stance, holding the bone spear with the point towards it. Like a spear wall composed of a single person, standing up to a cavalry charge she waited. Until, at the final moment, she leapt to one side, feet hitting the hard ground even as she forced her aching calves to propel herself forwards.**

**The Grimm missed her, sliding by her with barely eight inches distance between them. But as she propelled herself back towards its unprotected flank. She did not miss.**

**The spear drove home, cutting into flesh and muscle before being torn from her hands through sheer momentum alone. Her entire body was spun, before the hind muscles of the beast – still running – clipped her, sending her flying to the dirt.**

"Impressive." Ren complimented Velvet who started playing with her ears as her face burned red.

Nora frowned before she grabbed onto Ren's arm catching the boy off guard who looked at her curiously. "Boop!" she grinned at him as she tapped him on the nose.

**Though her leg screamed in agony, she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, watching with a satisfied smile as the Ursa's charge came to a grinding halt. The beast toppled forward before with billowing smoke, it began to dissolve.**

**"Warned you." She said, a desperate laugh bubbling from her lips.**

**It died a moment later, as six more Ursa came from the trees. Smaller, but in her injured state, far more threatening.**

_**This… looks bad.**_** Which was perhaps an understatement, since as Coco might have put it, the situation looked completely fucked. She pushed herself to her feet, before stumbling with a sharp cry back to her knees. Not again! It couldn't be happening again – she'd healed, they'd told her she would be better…**

**They'd also told her to be easy on it…**

Coco sat straighter as she looked on in worry. "Is this the injury you were talking about earlier Weiss?"

"Yes, I believe so." Weiss nodded her head.

"I hope Jaune does something soon," Ruby muttered as she chewed on her bottom lip nervously.

_**Damn it! Damn it! I'm sorry Yatsu, Fox… Coco.**__**Looks like I messed up this time.**_

**At least the bird had survived this time… that was good, right?**

**"Glynda!" A voice shouted, even as a figure appeared before her, as if by magic. She couldn't see his face, from how he had his back to her. But she could recognize that blue coat and blonde hair anywhere.**

"I wonder how this plays out," Jaune muttered as he turned a little red in the face. "It sounds…so…" he trailed off unable to find the right word.

"Don't be too hard on yourself Jaune, you're just doing what Miss Godwitch told you to," Pyrrha explained unwilling to watch her partner beat himself up over the actions of a different version of himself.

**The Professor though? How had he found her so quickly… he was always watching her, judging eyes, offering help – but damn it, she didn't want his help. He thought she was weak, they all did. But at that moment she was able to swallow her distrust, simply pleased that a teacher was there to protect her.**

**"Can you get out of here?" He asked, turning his head a few inches to regard her with one blue eye. She shook her head, already starting to lose all feeling in her left leg. "This is bad."**

**"Can't you beat them?" Surely he could. He was a teacher at Beacon for crying out loud, one of the best! He beat Cardin without ever drawing a weapon, even the best among them had been impressed. Surely he could handle some lousy Ursa?**

"He… never did learn how to properly attack did he?" Yang asked suddenly aware of a major problem for Professor Arc.

"No, he has not," Blake replied suddenly very worried.

"Oh boy," Ruby whispered as Jaune slumped his shoulders.

**"I can't!" He said loudly, his voice strained with guilt. And in a moment of clarity, she understood. He could beat them… could kill all of them. But he couldn't protect her at the same time. He would need to attack some, give ground, dodge, and block – and none of that could be achieved if he was trying to stand guard over her body.**

**"Oh…" She said simply, voice drifting off as her heartbeat seemed to slow down. What else was there to say? This was it. "Do…" she hesitated, voice choking. "- Do what you must… then."**

**"Glynda!" He screamed out, ignoring her words as he took a defensive position before her. "Glynda!" He continued, voice going hoarse from the volume.**

"There really is a major perception difference in this story huh?" Coco asked content that Velvet was out of immediate danger.

"Yeah, well to be expected considering the students only know that he's a teacher at a young age." Nora smiled happily "As far as they know he's the same age as a fourth year."

"I mean if someone that young really did become a teacher at Beacon I'd assume he's a genius-level huntsman." Coco allowed as she shrugged her shoulders. There was muted agreement from the others as they all turned their attention back onto the story.

**The Ursa wasn't willing to wait for his help to arrive. Roaring loudly, one of them charged forward, paws crashing into the ground as it moved, the sheer noise of it almost deafening. With a brief look back towards her, the teacher hesitated, before charging the beast himself.**

**The two rushed towards one another, the Grimm slowing to a stop as its prey approached. He had charged the Grimm to ensure the skirmish happened away from her injured form, she realized. He dodged the first blow, slipping past the Ursa's claws with subtle grace before ducking beneath its other swing. Much like when he was facing Cardin he dodged blows wherever he could, slipping through attacks with a grace that belied his size and armor.**

"Nice moves, really flexible." Coco made a show of licking her lips causing Jaune's face to light up like a flare.

**She watched it all through lidded eyes, as he wore the beast down. Already it was angry, frustrated with the loss of blood as its swings became wilder. The teacher's sword had struck a few times, never seeming to be enough to slay the beast, but cutting small wounds into its side. She had to assume they were to slow it down, bleed it out – because why else would he delay just killing it?**

**Was that his style? To bleed an opponent out while he used his superior evasive abilities to avoid harm? If so it was a brutally efficient method if a little cruel almost. Letting the enemy kill themselves like that…**

"I mean if that was Arc's method of fighting it would be incredibly cruel," Weiss commented before shooting the downhearted boy a small smile. "Do not worry Arc, I know you're not really like that."

**"Velvet!" He shouted, voice equal parts warning and fear. Her brown orbs slid closed, knowing what he was no doubt referring to. She could feel the beast's approach through the vibrating ground. Slowly getting closer to her. She didn't want to see it. "Glynda!"**

_**Sorry guys. Looks like I won't be able to make movie night.**_** She giggled to herself. **_**Look after the boys Coco.**_

**"No!" A man shouted before there was the noise of something solid striking the Ursa. "I won't let it happen."**

"Cardin's big redemption chapter?" Nora gasped as the others shot her a questioning look. "To be fair, he's been better lately." She pointed out referring to their world's version of Cardin.

**A shadow seemed to fall across her as she cracked one eye open, uncertain as to how the Professor had managed to cross such distance. How he had saved her…**

**Professor Arc still stood some fifteen meters away, locked in combat with an Ursa – though she could see that he was staring at her in concern. Her eyes flicked back before her, noticing a single Ursa dissolving before her.**

**"Come on damn it…" Someone said, as hands settled beneath her armpits, dragging her away from the dying beast. She looked down at the hands hooked beneath her shoulders, seeing the silvery gauntlets.**

**"Cardin?" She whispered. Shocked, hopeful…**

"I don't know how to feel about this." Velvet admitted bluntly as she rubbed her arms a bit.

"Neither do we." Blake shrugged her shoulders.

"**This isn't good enough." The racist said, kneeling down and lifting her bodily into his arms. Her leg complained at the jostling but she bit down on the pain, even as her cheek pressed into metal armor. A brass bird emblazoned next to her face.**

**"Get her out of here!" The Professor yelled to them, even as the boy nodded.**

**"I'll get help!" He promised, lumbering away with her jostling painfully in his arms.**

**"Y-you saved me." She said, eyes feeling heavy from fatigue and the loss of adrenaline. "Why?"**

**"I don't know," he said briskly, "do I need a reason?"**

**"Yes."**

"Velvet, just accept the help." Coco lowered her shades to stare at her friend.

**"Then how about; because I wouldn't be Cardin Fucking Winchester if I left someone to die."**

**That… sounded like a good reason, she thought to herself as her eyes drifted closed.**

**Jaune watched the two flee, letting out a sigh of relief at the knowledge that at least they would be okay. Now all he had to do was break off and flee as well, and let Glynda handle the Grimm. He could just say he didn't want to stay and fight while there was an injured student being escorted by another… that would cover him.**

"I'm so happy Pyrrha decided to go full training montage on you Jaune." Yang pointed out causing the two to blush.

"I wouldn't call it that…" Pyrrha muttered as she poked her fingers together.

"So you want me to call it fast, hard, and sweaty?" Yang asked while raising an eyebrow.

"No, no… montage is fine," Jaune muttered as his blush deepened.

_**Thank you Neo, I'll never call you a bitch again.**_** He thought to himself as he dodged another blow that would surely have eviscerated him. He lashed out experimentally with Crocea Mors but grunted in annoyance when it simply cut another small groove into the Grimm's flesh. Roman was right, he really was hopeless when it came to offense. Somehow he doubted this monster could be forced to surrender by threatening its genitals either.**

**And there were five others… no wait, four. The Winchester boy had killed one in a single strike.**

**Talk about unfair…**

"Maybe you should ask Neo how to attack?" Blake suggested cautiously.

"Are you kidding?" Jaune asked with a raised brow. "She'd probably beat him black and blue just for suggesting it."

"Honestly she might beat you black and blue just for shits and giggles." Yang pointed out.

"Fair point."

Coco and Velvet shared a look. "Who's Neo?"

"In this story, she's Roman's subordinate, and the muscle behind their operation. She's also made a point to mooch off of Jaune for her own amusement." Pyrrha explained with a deep sigh.

"Is she a bitch?"

"Eh…probably, but at least you know how to get in her good graces." Nora waved it off

**The Grimm before him roared, rearing up before attempting to crash down on top of him. He backpedaled quickly, dodging the blow. A grunt behind him warned him of the next danger, as he ducked low rolled to one side, narrowly avoiding having his head torn off. With a brief stumble, he landed on one knee, eyes widening as he blocked a strike from a **_**third**_** Ursa with his shield. The force of it still sent him reeling, flying back as his spine struck hard dirt and pointy rocks.**

**Too many… there were just too damn many. If it were just a single Ursa then he'd be fine, able to dodge it for as long as he needed to. Or just run away. But they had surrounded him already, their hot breath splashing into his face as he fought for space.**

**"Glynda!" He cried, one last time, praying for the help he needed. If she heard him, she was too far. The entire fight had lasted no longer than three minutes. No doubt she was on her way, but even she could not fly by her own power.**

**No. He was on his own.**

"Oh! Do we get to see him figure out how to properly use his sword?" Ruby cheered as she watched with starry eyes.

"Somehow I doubt that." Jaune chuckled softly more than aware of just how this story liked to poke fun at his misfortune.

**"Come on then." He struck at the first Grimm, driving his blade home with all the strength he could muster. Crocea Mors, ancestral blade of the Arc family slammed uselessly from its armored snout, seeming to do little more than antagonize it as the beast roared. "Your breath stinks." He offered as a final piece of rebellion, right before the monster's paw slashed at him.**

**He ducked beneath it, only to be hit by a different Ursa's attack, one that came from behind. His body spiraled into the chest of another, which seemed almost surprised as it looked down at the dazed knight. Before with a mighty slam, it pressed him into the hard ground.**

**"D-Damn it…" He tried to push himself up, but the Grimm's massive weight kept him pinned, even as its face descended towards his. Mouth open in preparation to rip and tear.**

"Hm… how do we fix this?" Ruby muttered looking at her first friend in Beacon.

"Ruby…" Jaune hesitated as Pyrrha adopted a similar thinking pose. "Pyrrha no…"

"Jaune you'll have to learn how to fight crowds of Grimm at some point." She pointed out needlessly.

"Isn't that what the simulators are for?" he asked desperately.

"Nothing beats live experience." She explained with a beautiful smile.

"Don't worry we'll be there to make sure nothing bad happens." Yang grinned as she threw an arm around her fellow blonde.

"Knowing you…you'll throw a couple more Grimm at me just for laughs."

"Hey, I'm not Neo." Yang ignored the chilling sensation that passed through her spine after she said that.

**Before, with a single gurgle, a silvery thin blade slide from its eye socket. Jaune blinked, even as the Grimm seemed to – one eye managing it, but the other obstructed by solid steel. With a sickening sloshing sound the blade drew free, before being driven back in once more, this time erupting from its forehead.**

**Again. Again. The blade pierced it six times in a matter of milliseconds. A small hand clamped down atop the remains of the creature's head, pulling it back so that it didn't fall on the downed man. A figure stood where it once had covered in blood.**

**"N-… Neo?" He managed, eyes focusing on the small girl who looked furious. She blinked rapidly, eyes switching colors at a pace that made it impossible to keep up with. Her lips twitched, but not in her usual almost-smiling manner. Instead, her face was a rictus of calm that he could only describe as **_**furious.**_** "Neo?"**

"Oh, she looks mad." Yang winced as the petite killer turned towards her next target.

**Like a switch her face changed, a silent snarl bursting onto her face as she leapt above him, lunging towards another Grimm with such speed that all **_**he**_** could see was a blur of white and pink. The Ursa roared angrily but stood no chance against the tiny girl. The blade sank into its throat before with a move he could barely understand, the girl was able to withdraw her blade, swing her legs up for purchase and somehow flip herself to a standing position above its head. With a victorious but silent snarl, she drove her weapon down into its skull. Killing it instantly.**

**The remaining three Ursa roared their defiance. And to his horror, others seemed to answer. Six more came from the trees. That made eleven. No wait, another two, and then four more. So many.**

"Hm, what do you guys think? Tough fight, or easy peasy?" Yang asked as she looked at her friends.

"For us, or Neo?" Ruby asked for clarification.

"Us, if we're by ourselves," Yang explained as the others began thinking.

"I believe if I'm careful I can manage it without much hassle." Ren supposed as he nodded his head.

"It'd be easy for me." Nora shrugged her shoulders. "My weapon was built for dealing with groups of Grimm."

"I don't see myself struggling against this number of foes." Pyrrha smiled

"Easy fight." Coco grinned as she patted her handbag.

"If I use my weapon it's easy, it'd be pretty hard otherwise." Velvet admitted as she rubbed her ears idly.

"If Crescent Rose doesn't get stuck in any of them it's easy for me," Ruby admitted seriously.

"As long as I have enough Dust I can do it." Weiss declared haughtily.

"It would take me a while, but I could do it." Blake shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure if I could beat seventeen of them at once," Jaune admitted glumly as he compared himself to all his friends.

"Ah don't worry about it Jaune!" Yang grinned "Your equipment is more suited to one on one fights in the first place. We'll need to take some time to think over options for you at some point though."

Jaune smiled as the others agreed. "Thanks."

**There was a brief shattering of glass, the noise echoing around them before Neo vanished. He barely had time to consider that she had abandoned him, not even the time for it to cross his mind before blurs of white were appearing between the Grimm. The briefest flashes of a familiar figure, and a lightning slash of silver, before it would vanish. Monsters roared, Ursa toppled, blood flowed.**

**And smoke billowed.**

**Until, in less than twenty seconds, she had killed just as many Grimm, and stood before him once more. Her visage frozen with blood dripping down her cheek. None of it her own.**

"Talk about slasher movie vibes." Yang shivered slightly

"We are never watching one of those." Weiss declared with a serious look in her eyes.

"Scared?"

"Those types of movies are irritating to me as a huntress in training. Why do they always make the stupidest decisions?"

"Okay fair point." Yang shrugged her shoulders.

**"Neo?" He said once more, unsure what else to say. The girl seemed to blink, looking down at him for a long moment as though unsure what she was looking at. He didn't move, unsure if it would startle her.**

**"…" The girl grinned, reaching one hand down to him and with shocking strength dragging him to his feet. She looked him up and down, brows drawing together. And for once, he knew what she was saying.**

**"I'm okay." He said, breathing out a long sigh of relief. "Thanks to you. I owe you." A brief flash of Roman in his memory. "No, wait – I mean- erk…" The girl silenced him by pressing a finger to his lips. She held two fingers up.**

"Welp the troubles just keep piling up for you Jaune," Ren noted as Jaune just sighed.

"Thanks, Ren I hadn't noticed."

**"Ugh… fine, I owe you two favors now." He surrendered, unable to deny her for having protected his life like that. Also, it somehow felt easier owing her a favor than Roman. He was about to say more, but for voices calling his name coming from the woods. With a crack of shattering glass Neo vanished from before him, keen to protect her identity as the students piled into the clearing.**

**He saw them all. Team RWBY, RVNN, CRDL and all the rest of the first years. Weapons drawn and ready. And at the front of them all, Glynda Goodwitch, her normally meticulously styled hair peppered with red leaves and twigs.**

"Were we really that far away?" Velvet wondered aloud seeing Glynda's state.

"I guess so." Ruby frowned in thought as she tried to remember their own Forever Fall incident.

**"Professor Arc!" She called out, rushing towards him as the others fanned out, most putting their weapons away once it was clear the area was safe. "I heard you, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?" She stopped before him, green eyes scanning up and down his form before sighing in relief, her entire body seeming to relax. "When I heard there were so many Ursa I feared the… no, well… it's fine now."**

**"Yeah, I'm alive. Somehow." He said, his arms suddenly feeling tired. He looked over the woman's shoulder as some of the teams inspected the rapidly decaying Ursa littered about the clearing. Neo was an absolute monster to have killed so many with so little effort.**

"This…somehow ends up increasing his reputation doesn't it?" Coco asked lowering her shades.

"As things seem to do in this." Pyrrha giggled.

**"Somehow?" The woman laughed, it sounded desperate but also filled with relief. "I'd say skill played a large part in it, given the bodies."**

**"That was… it was…"**

**"Nothing?" She said with a smile. He nodded, though for all the wrong reasons. What else was he supposed to say when they'd found him in a field of dead Grimm? The Deputy looked about them for a moment, green eyes glancing left and right. He was about to ask what was wrong before she reached forward and enclosed her arms around him for a moment. Eyes wide, he barely had the time to let his own hands settle near her before she had ended it, coughing and stepping back.**

"Wow, affection from Professor Goodwitch?" Velvet asked in shock.

"It's not that rare is it?" Weiss asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Praise? No." Coco shook her head. "But getting her to hug you? I've only seen that once when a fourth-year managed to make it back after losing his entire team on a mission."

"I… see…" Ruby gulped, reminded uncomfortably about her own mother.

**"I'm glad to see you're okay." She said, apparently all business once more. He might have thought he had imagined it, were it not for the way she fidgeted with her glasses – pushing them up her nose and not quite meeting his eyes.**

**"Me too," he said with a smile, "how about the others – did Velvet make it out okay?"**

**"She did," Glynda smiled, "and it seems she's better for it, though I must confess the results have surprised me a little." She nodded in one direction, and he turned to look. Velvet was there, apparently unhurt though with an expression of almost suffering patience on her face. She was propped up by two people, as a third knelt down to wrap a bandage around her leg.**

**The scene might have warmed his heart, had it been her own team, Raven. Instead, he could only let out a small sigh, still pleased – but knowing the matter wasn't truly fixed. For it was Team Cardinal who supported her, helping her stay upright as they bantered and wrapped her leg. She winced in pain before Cardin shouted something at the one bandaging her. To his surprise the girl laughed, saying something in return.**

"Okay…?" Velvet tilted her head as if trying to see if looking at things from a different angle would make it more sensible.

"It gets weirder as far as relationships go," Fox called out as he looked up from his work.

"Okay…?" The Beacon students all shared looks with each other before shrugging their shoulders.

**"I get the feeling I've really messed up somewhere." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head.**

**"Sometimes things play out in ways we don't expect," Glynda said, shrugging elegantly as she flicked a few leaves from her blonde hair. "That doesn't mean they are bad, or can't still be fixed. It's just another direction we take in life. There are plenty of roads available to us."**

**"Does one of them lead back to Beacon," he asked with a sigh, "because I'm shattered."**

**"It does." The blonde woman laughed, patting him on the arm. "Let's go home Jaune."**

"Okay, I definitely see the Glynda-Jaune overtones you guys were talking about," Coco muttered as she rubbed her forehead in thought.

"Right?" Ruby asked, happy that she wasn't the only one who saw it.

"This is pretty interesting." Velvet smiled as Coco grinned. "Want to stick around for a bit?" she asked turning to her leader.

"Sure we could use the break."


	14. Reading chapter 14

"Are we going back to the fun stuff?" Coco asked once Fox put away the Death March book.

Rolling his eyes the being huffed in agitation. "It's not that bad."

"Really?" Weiss asked disbelievingly.

"It gets better." The teens all pretended to believe that. "Kids." Fox shook his head sadly as he started up the story.

**"So… on a scale of one to ten, how dangerous is this person we're seeing?" Jaune asked nervously, as he fidgeted with his armor. Stood across from him was Neo, a sarcastic smirk in place though even to him it looked a little more brittle than usual. "That bad?"**

**The small girl nodded, not meeting his eyes.**

"Oh yeah he's meeting Roman's boss today isn't he?" Yang mumbled as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"I'm almost as scared as this other version of me is," Jaune muttered rubbing the back of his head with a wry expression.

"Isn't it supposed to be that Cinder girl?" Weiss asked recalling when Jaune went to Roman to have his aura unlocked.

"I think so," Ruby muttered as she quickly flipped through the previous segments. "Yeah, it is. I don't think we've seen her before have we?" she asked recalling how she looked in previous chapters.

"She might be from a different kingdom." Ren pointed out.

Coco hummed "That means she might be arriving soon with the Haven or Atlas students. You guys already checked out the Shade students right?"

RWBY and JNPR nodded their heads. "None of the ones we saw matched her description," Blake informed them simply.

**Well shit… there were plenty of things in life that scared Jaune Arc. His sisters, his father, his mother, Glynda, most of the students, Grimm, the idea of being found out – people who put tomato ketchup on eggs. There were enough things to fill a small book. But right near the top of all things was almost certainly Neo.******

**Because honestly if how she acted around him was classified as "friendly" then he dreaded to imagine what "hostile" might translate to. Also, he'd had a first-row seat to that little show she'd put on with the Ursa, and while that had been to save his life – something he was obviously quite thankful for. It still painted a scary picture of just how strong she was.**

"You…have it rough don't you Jaune?" Velvet asked laughing slightly as she went over the list of things that scared Jaune.

Jaune, red in the face, sighed tiredly. "Yeah…you could say that."

"I don't even want to imagine what Neo's hostile setting looks like," Yang muttered with a bemused look.****

**And just how far he had to go – Hell, he could only last at most a minute with her, and that when she **_**wasn't**_** using her weapon.******

**Still, back to the issue at hand – he was going to be meeting with some kind of crime boss as a favor to Roman and would need to agree to whatever plan they had. Something about smuggling people into Beacon if he remembered… What could they want from that though? Initially, he suspected the worst; that they were trying to kill someone. But dramatic panic aside, if they wanted to do that then why not just have Neo teleport in and do it?******

**Maybe it was something more mundane… like them just wanting someone to be able to sneak in and graduate as a Hunter? Or have access to better training for some promising new recruits.**

"If only…" Weiss sighed somehow convinced that it was far more serious than that.

"Yeah, probably not that simple." Blake agreed.****

**"How do I look?" He said as he strapped the last piece of armor into place and turned to the girl. First impressions counted after all – so he'd gone so far as to buff what little plate he had, and even shine his boots. Just in case anyone saw him he'd tied a grey scarf around his neck that he could pull up over his lower face if needed.******

**Neo tilted her head as she looked him up and down. After a few moments, she held up three fingers.******

**"Three out of ten?" Coming from Neo that was high praise. "Good enough… so, how are we getting there?"**

"Sheesh, talk about standards." Nora placed her hands on her hips at the byplay. "I'd give fearless leader at least a six out of ten for that outfit."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes "Well I'd give it an eight." She suggested smiling happily. "I think it suits him."

"What's a ten then?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Obviously something matching mine." Pyrrha grinned cheekily as Nora nodded enthusiastically. "Come on Jaune, we're teammates, of course, we'd want something that meshes well."

"Oh yeah, that makes sense." He muttered with a slight chuckle.

"Hmm…."

"Ruby we're not getting new outfits to make a team ensemble." Weiss rebuffed her before she could even voice her thoughts.

"Weiss!" Ruby cried out in disappointment. "It would be so cool!"

"No."

Yang snorted as Weiss and Ruby began arguing again. "I guess it's not meant to be huh Blake?" she asked glancing at her partner who was smiling softly.

"Doesn't look like it." The normally quiet girl offered with a shrug of her shoulders.****

**Travel by Bullhead would be the obvious answer, but it might look just a **_**little**_** bit strange if one of the staff slipped out of Beacon so late in the day. Sure it was only seven or so – but it was a weekday, and that meant paperwork and preparation for lessons.******

**Neo grinned – which really ought to have been the first (and only) warning he needed – before she strolled over and grabbed him by the sleeve. Whatever Jaune had been about to say died in his mouth, as his entire body compressed and folded. It felt like he was crushed into the space of a speck of dust – before being dropped from a great height. His stomach plunged, even as the food he'd eaten threatened to force its way from his throat. Until with a jarring flash of light, the world seemed to stop.******

**Right as his face smashed into that of Roman Torchwick.**

"Oh god…" Coco muttered as a stunned silence filtered through the room. "That… is such a bullshit ability."

"I'll say," Yang muttered wondering how she'd fight someone who had effective teleportation as a semblance. ****

**If his life had been an anime he might have lost his first kiss to the man, and honestly – that might have been preferable. Instead what he received was a rapidly widening green eye – before his forehead collided with that of Roman's. Immovable object met irresistible force – made all the worse via the application of aura which meant that instead of two hard (but not solid) heads meeting. Two skulls that may as well have been made of granite smashed together.******

**On top of that, he got a whole inch of burning cigar crushed into his teeth as they bounced off one another with a sound that was reminiscent of a car crash.**

"Poor Jaune." Ruby fretted as she watched the two writhe on the ground from the contact.

"That looked like it hurt," Jaune muttered rubbing his forehead in phantom pain.****

**"Fuck, Neo!" The orange-haired man shouted as he hit the ground, bowler hat flying off. "You fucking piece of shit, why do you always pull this shit!? Fuck!" Jaune simply coughed out ash and the taste of burning; filing away the information that Roman became pretty flipping potty-mouthed when he was in pain.******

**Neo tilted her head and lightly rapped a hand against her skull – as if to say "Oh gosh darn, did I make such a silly mistake!? Tee-hee."******

**Neither of them believed her.**

"She really is a little demon isn't she?" Coco asked tilting her glasses forward so that she could see things better.

"Does not do her justice," Yang muttered as Jaune just chuckled emptily.****

**"Just when you think the day can't get shittier," Roman pushed himself to his feet, taking the time to locate his hat, draw out another cigar, light it – **_**and**_** take a few long puffs. Before finally turning to Jaune, "You comfy down there?"******

**"Nice to see you care," Jaune sighed as he forced himself up – having given up on waiting for Roman to offer him a hand. "She do this often?"******

**"Only every time she's in a pissy mood." The thief snarled, flicking his cigar so a few pieces of ash floated toward the girl. She raised one eyebrow, blowing them away before they could get close.**

"Ugh…I can't even imagine dealing with her on a daily basis." Yang moaned as the others frowned.

"Yeah, it looks…difficult." Pyrrha agreed which was the same level as calling someone a bitch for the Mistral Champ.****

**"How often is that?"******

**"All the fucking time. Anyway, glad you could make it kid. You're moving up in the world now it seems."******

**"Yeah," Jaune looked about as he tried to orient himself. This definitely wasn't the same place he had met Roman at before, and he had no idea where they were – or how he could escape if things got bad. It took him a few minutes to realize that was probably the point, which didn't do much for his nerves. "So anything I should know about this woman?"**

"You look like you're having a panic attack Jaune." Ren calmly pointed out as he lay a hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"I'd imagine that to be a running theme for this version of me," Jaune stated with a shrug of his shoulders.****

**"Yeah, too many things to count," the thief said as he led Jaune a little deeper down some dark corridors. Wherever they were, it was arranged like some kind of huge warehouse structure, with metal racks and rails reaching up to the ceiling – and various pelleted boxes stacked on each. Knowing all the recent news reports on dust robberies it wasn't hard to imagine what was in the containers.******

**"First things first, this woman is Dangerous with a capital D." Roman puffed some smoke back into his face, making him hack and cough as he waved his hand to dispel it. "So I doubt you were actually going to try and do something stupid, but I'll say it anyway. Don't do anything stupid!"******

**"Got it," Jaune coughed.**

"Roman's terrified," Weiss noted with some trepidation. "Just what kind of person is Cinder anyways?"

"Probably a psychopath," Blake muttered quietly as she watched things unfold.****

**"Also try and keep calm if you can help it. She's going to notice if you get nervous or anything and she'll go in for the kill. Let me do all the talking, just nod along."******

**"Anything else?"******

**Roman paused, as Jaune nearly collided with him. A few clouds of smoke puffed forth before he turned to stare into Jaune's blue eyes.******

**"No matter what she says – or what she does. Remember she can, and will, kill you at the slightest provocation if she feels like it."**

"Way to give a pep-talk…" Ruby shook her head in disappointment as her sister raised an eyebrow.

"You expected anything else from Roman of all people?" She asked curiously. ****

**"I am **_**so**_** not prepared for this…" Jaune said quietly, more of a squeak really. If Roman had sought to boost his confidence then his methods needed work. Neo offered her own comfort, a small pat on his back which doubled as a shove to get him moving once more.******

**His mind whirled into overdrive, as he pieced together what he could about the woman. He'd seen enough TV to get a mental image of her, probably overweight with two black-suited men by her side. With sharp and cruel eyes, set in a bulbous and horrifying face. She would probably have one of those cigarette stick things as well, so she didn't have to sully her long-gloved fingers with the ash.**

"You watch too much television Jaune," Weiss noted idly as she shot him a disapproving look. "It's clearly rotted your brain."

"Hey…" Jaune whined softly. "I'm not _that_ bad."

"Well, I think you're both right," Pyrrha added in with a smile. "Jaune does spend too much time idle when you consider how much ground he has to cover to catch up. On the other hand, despite all that, his habits and preconceptions aren't nearly as bad as this world makes him out to be."

Weiss looked like she wanted to argue but ultimately shrugged her shoulders trusting Pyrrha's judgment as Jaune's partner.****

**He prepared himself. Took deep breaths and cracked his neck from one side to the other, ran through the plan in his mind. Step one – nod hello. Step two – shut the fuck up. Step three – wait for Roman to do everything.******

**It was a simple plan – but that was how he knew it was a good one. Because there were very few ways he could bugger it up.******

_**You can do this Jaune – just don't meet her eyes, try not to cringe at how horrifying she'll be.**_

"I take it, that it doesn't go to plan at all?" Velvet asked looking curiously at their host.

"You could say that." He agreed simply.****

**Roman nodded one final time, before pushing aside a long-hanging curtain and walking into a new room. Jaune hesitated outside, wondering if it was still too late to flee – only for Neo to press the heel of one of her boots into his ass and push him in.******

**"Hello there," possibly the silkiest voice he had ever heard seemed to purr, "You must be Professor Jaune Arc."******

**She wasn't bulbous. Nor was she fat with beady eyes and sweaty skin. Instead, she was a pair of long, smooth and creamy legs – with an absolute babe attached to them.**

"Ow." Jaune flinched when Pyrrha pinched his side. He pointedly ignored Coco and Yang who were making whipping noises.****

**"That's me," he said, immediately forgetting steps two and three of his master plan as his eyes roved up those long luscious legs, which disappeared into tantalizing darkness when it reached her thighs. Her red dress, the color of blood his mind quietly whispered, clung snugly to her shapely form, promising everything – and revealing just enough to keep one wondering. His eyes traced up the gold leaf, paused at the swell of her ample breasts, before finally reaching past her neck and to her face.******

**Holy crap… she was dangerous alright, he could already feel his pulse racing so hard he feared he might keel over. She smiled coyly at him, even as she flicked her black locks behind her, revealing two amber eyes that seemed locked onto his own. Her pink lips parted, brilliant white teeth and a glistening tongue catching his attention as she spoke.******

**"A pleasure then Jaune, if I may call you that?" Her legs uncrossed as she slowly pushed herself up from the black leather couch. Standing up she was almost as tall as he, with hair that fell down her back. She reached out one hand to him, and not noticing the subtle shake of Neo's head – he reached out and took it.**

Ren sighed as Nora frowned softly. "My ship." She muttered unhappily.

"What ship?" Ruby asked curiously having overheard the hammer wielder.

Nora glanced at Pyrrha and Jaune who hadn't seemed to pay attention to Ruby's question before gesturing for Ruby to come closer.

Blake chuckled as she subtly listened in on Nora's explanation. "Something funny Blake?" Yang asked seeing the small smile on Blake's face.

"I just didn't take Nora to be the type to get invested in story matchmaking."

"Meaning?" Yang asked wanting to make sure she was on the same page as Blake.

"She's the type to get invested in certain characters' romantic partner," Blake explained getting an understanding nod from Yang.

"Not surprising considering her and Ren."****

**Soft… incredibly soft, and also warm, as she curled her fingers around his – her thumb briefly stroking the top of his hand. Gods her hand was warm, he almost felt like he was heating up just from touching her. She was hot, and he meant that literally – it was almost like their hands were on fire.******

**A brief flash of what looked like confusion crossed her face before she smiled once more and released his hand and stepped back. She gestured to the seat beside her.******

**Next to her? Jaune paused as he threw a quick glance towards Roman, who was staring at Jaune as though he couldn't quite figure out exactly what his eyes were seeing. **_**Okay, thanks for the help, Roman…**_** he thought to himself as he settled in beside the woman. She smiled indulgently, though there was a certain edge to her expression as she sat beside him. One bare leg rested alongside his own, and he fought down the urge to swallow and look at it. Or touch it.******

**"Roman," she cooed softly, her voice filled with a hint of amusement, "do sit down before you start catching flies. We have things to discuss." The thief coughed, his eyes meeting Jaune's own as he tried to impart some kind of valuable message.******

**Something about squirrels and pineapples?**

Jaune groaned slightly as his friends all chuckled at the scene. "I swear I'm not this bad." He muttered into his hands as he buried his face in shame.

"We know, but it's still funny." Velvet consoled him as she patted him on the back.****

**The man huffed, one hand coming up to rub his face as he sat down in one of the single armchairs. Neo took the one beside him. It wasn't until the chairs were filled that he realized just how alone they were, for someone they were so afraid of – she hadn't brought a single person with her. Was that a sign of weakness – or strength?******

**"Right," Roman began with a sigh, "so this is Jaune Arc – my contact I told you about at Beacon. We do business together, very hush-hush and all that."******

**"It sounds it," the woman said with a tinkling laugh. A few strands of black hair fell across his shoulder, and he could faintly smell the scent of berries from it. "Allow me to introduce myself then Jaune, my name is Cinder Fall – though," she paused as she turned to face him, her head dipping low as she looked up at him through her lashes, "I do hope you'll call me Cinder."**

"She scares me," Ruby muttered as she frowned while crossing her arms.

"Yeah, something about her just doesn't sit right with me either," Yang admitted with a frown.****

**"Of course," he laughed, though it soon died out when he saw Roman making a frantic throat-slitting motion – his teeth gritted as he shook his head no. The message was… rather clear.******

**"Delightful, Roman has only told me a little about you Jaune – just that you work at Beacon. Won't you tell me a little more about yourself?"******

**"Well he's-"******

**"I wasn't talking to you Roman," the woman cut in, her amber eyes never leaving Jaune's own – even as she cut the thief down mid-speech. "I'm sure a man like Jaune can speak for himself, hmm?"**

As one, all of the students shivered at the sudden tone change. "Geez, talk about intense," Nora muttered.

"No kidding." Coco agreed as she readjusted her hat.****

_**Don't show fear, don't show fear.**_** She smiled once more, as some thick locks fell across one eye. Her tongue flicked out, a tiny motion – but it caught his eye. **_**Don't show arousal, don't show arousal.**_****

**His dad Nicholas had always said the best way to talk to women was with confidence, which was tough at the best of times – and much harder when said woman was already right next to you -smelled fantastic and looked even better. Still… given how dangerous she apparently was, sorry – how **_**Dangerous**_**she apparently was – maybe it would be better to tone down on the confidence a little bit.******

**"There's not much to say," he said instead as he smiled in what he hoped was a charming manner. Judging by the way Neo's head fell into her hands in horror he hadn't done the best job. "I work as a Professor at Beacon, as well as being a Student Counselor."**

"Could use some work." Blake nodded in agreement.

"I'm being lectured on facial expressions by Blake…" Jaune seemed to sag into his seat in disbelief.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blake asked crossly as she shot him a glare.

"Well, you're not the best with expressions either Kitty-Kat." Yang pointed out.

"I have trouble expressing myself, Professor Arc has trouble expressing something he doesn't feel." She pointed out with a huff.****

**"How exciting, you must be quite trusted then," her smile grew, still closed-lipped but somehow more self-satisfied.******

**"Perhaps more than I should be," he admitted honestly. Although the truth wasn't exactly **_**perhaps**_** – he was totally trusted more than he had any right to be. She laughed lightly, as though he had made a particularly funny joke – though he supposed considering that she thought him a criminal, the words might have come across as humorous.******

**"Aren't we all? I must say I didn't realize you held such a lofty position – Roman simply told me you were a contact."******

**Jaune shrugged lightly, though he did feel a small thrill of fear that dragged him from his ardor. She had lied, or twisted the truth at least, in those words. When she had first shook his hand she had referred to him as a Professor… If what she said about Roman not telling her anything was true, and knowing Roman it probably was, then that meant she had been doing her own work to find out more about him.******

**And didn't that ring alarm bells…**

"Well, that isn't worrying at all," Ren commented blandly as he idly pulled Nora back into her seat as she went to do something.

Nora for her part, simply smiled as she mouthed something about breaking legs.****

**There was a dangerous criminal mastermind, who had been doing background work to try and get information about him, Jaune Arc. Seventeen-year-old teen who was in over his head, except that now it looked like he was about to have more "over his head" than under it.******

**"Roman knows not to say too much," Jaune said after he realized the silence had dragged on, with her brow raised waiting for an answer. "Information is dangerous."******

_**And the award for most mysterious and pretentiously pointless statement goes to…**_** From the corner of his eye, he could see the criminal in question, who had pulled the bowler hat down over his eyes and was furiously puffing on his cigar. As though if he pretended it wasn't happening, it might come true.**

Weiss sighed and palmed her face. "Ah…I think I see the problem." Ruby muttered as she pulled her hood over her eyes.****

**"Oh… I didn't realize you had that kind of relationship," she purred, "perhaps in future I should be dealing with you."******

**Dealing with him? What did that mean… he hadn't said anything to – **_**"Roman knows not to say too much."**_** – Oh crap, had she taken that to mean he considered himself Roman's superior? That couldn't end well…******

**"Ah well… that might be hard since I have to stay in Beacon and all."******

**"That won't be as much of a problem as you believe."**

"Oh boy." Jaune released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he looked up at the ceiling.****

**"What do you mean?" Surely she didn't expect him to come down for meetings like this? Okay, sure with Neo's teleportation it was hardly a big issue – except that he **_**never**_** wanted to travel like that again. But even so – him having to dedicate even more time to meetings with dangerous criminals? He didn't like the sound of that…******

**"Now Jaune, allow a woman a few secrets hmm?" She said as she reached across him. He froze at her proximity, wondering exactly what she was trying to do. Her face passed just in front of his, her hair drifting across his lips, even as her delicate and enticing neck was **_**so**_** close. She steadied herself with one hand on his thigh as she reached across him – picking something up from a table by the couch.******

**Jaune released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when she withdrew, his muscles relaxing once she wasn't touching him. She smiled victoriously, as though pleased with his reaction as she proffered a bottle of red wine.******

**"Perhaps we should all have a drink to our future cooperation? After all, you and I may become partners in the future Jaune. Roman, do be a dear and fetch us some glasses."**

"I know she's supposed to be evil and all that…but damn if she doesn't know how to turn the heat up in a room." Yang muttered as she fanned herself with her hands.****

**"Ne-"******

**"I said **_**you,**_** Roman. You certainly are hard of hearing today."******

**"Yeah… how silly of me." Jaune felt he could almost hear the man's teeth grinding together as he stood up and moved away, returning a moment later with some long wine flutes. Cinder placed another hand on his leg as she pushed herself to her feet, pulling out the cork and filling the glasses herself with the dark red liquid.******

**"A toast then, to our continued partnership," Jaune stood up with the others, holding the glass out so they all touched, "and perhaps, to new friendships as well," she finished – pointedly meeting his eyes as she moved the glass to her lips.**

Pyrrha frowned as she began tapping her foot against the floor. "I don't like her." She eventually stated as the others laughed nervously.****

**Feeling a little sick, Jaune did the same. It tasted good, he supposed… thick and heady with a fruity aftertaste and a sharp kick that he felt he desperately needed right at that moment. They finished at roughly the same time, and as they put the glasses down he was half waiting for the poison to kick in and kill him.******

**No such luck…******

**He looked towards Roman for help – receiving nothing but a shrug in reply. Neo was just as much help, she looked tense – ready to fight at a moment's notice. It didn't escape him how the only one who seemed truly relaxed was Cinder herself, even outnumbered three-to-one.**

"She must be incredibly strong to be that calm in her situation." Blake pointed out as the others nodded in agreement. "We should be careful with our own Cinder, who knows how powerful she really is."

"If she even exists in our world." Weiss reminded them.****

**"I must admit," Jaune began, keeping his voice as confident as he could, "Roman hasn't told me much about what our agreement is to include Cinder. If we're going to be working together so closely – perhaps you might tell me more?"******

**"I suppose I could," she said as she poured some more wine into their glasses, though she pointedly left Roman's empty – forcing him to do it himself. She leaned back in her seat, taking the shortest of sips as she crossed her legs, one resting against his thigh. "Although I'm sure you'll understand if I don't tell you everything Jaune – we know so little about one another after all."******

**Welp, looked like the old "get the villain to confess their master plan" approach wasn't going to work. Man… X-ray and Vav made it look so easy.**

"Comic books are hardly a source of good information gathering techniques." Blake pointed out.

"Well, the Ninjas of Love books are hardly good sources on romantic pursuits either." Jaune countered."

"And you would know that, why?" Blake asked raising an eyebrow as she ignored the dig at her favorite series.

"I have seven sisters Blake." Jaune rolled his eyes as if that explained everything. Blake wasn't too sure if it did or not.****

**"Of course," he said instead, "I simply meant what it is you might want me to do for you. How can I be expected to help, if I'm not aware of what you need me to do?"******

**"It's good to see a man with a brain on his shoulders," she laughed as she placed her flute back on the table, half-empty. And yeah he was feeling rather cynical at that point in time, he felt he had the right to be. "It's a simple task Jaune, in fact, there isn't even much you need do. I have a few… associates, who wish to attend Beacon for the duration of the Vytal Festival."******

**That much coincided with what Roman had already told him, though he kept quiet on that front. Sure he'd already kind of messed up the plan – but Roman's idea to let him do all the talking had been shot the moment she decided she wanted to hear Jaune speak. Still, there was no reason to put Roman in a worse situation.**

"Well, that's fair at least." Velvet pointed out despite the overall bad feeling this whole meeting gave them.

"It's something of a good thing that Jaune is still Jaune despite the criminal connections." Ren nodded with a small smile on his face.

"Did you just insult me or praise me?" Jaune asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Little bit of both," Ren admitted with a small chuckle.****

**"They don't have any formal hunter training, though you can rest assured they are able to fight just as well as many in Beacon. Sadly, what they lack is simply documentation that could assure their entry."******

_**Couldn't Roman handle that easily enough though? He made forged documents good enough to get me accepted as a teacher, so transfer papers should be a lot easier.**_** Hell, if they went through Ozpin they would probably get approved even if all they had on them was a pencil-drawn smiley face.**

"He's not _that _bad," Ruby muttered hoping that one of the hunters she looked up to wasn't completely irresponsible.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "That aside, why would she need Jaune's help when Roman is a perfectly good forger?"

"I don't know." Yang shrugged. "Legitimize them?"

"Perhaps…" Weiss trailed off trying to think of other reasons Cinder would specifically need Jaune's help.****

**"Then I heard about yourself Professor, who had come from Vacuo. From a school that had suffered a most unfortunate fate, I am sorry for your loss." She leaned closer to him, her face twisting in concern so obviously fake – and yet so convincingly real, that he didn't know what to do.******

**"It's fine, it was a long time ago," he shrugged, idly noting that Roman had kept his true identity a secret. That was… probably for the best, since if she found out he was just a normal teenager then he would lose whatever value he had to her. And it didn't take a genius to figure out what would happen if she thought him worthless to her…******

**"I was hoping you might allow my associates to claim to be from your school Jaune – just vouch for them and say you had seen them there."**

"Pity grab?" Nora asked tilting her head to the side."

"Prevents others from digging into her agents maybe," Pyrrha suggested getting understanding nods from the others in the room.

"That actually sounds likely." Coco hummed as she adjusted her shades.****

**"What are they going to be doing at Beacon?" He asked, though when she narrowed her eyes he wished he hadn't.******

**"Nothing you need worry about Jaune," she reached out to place a hand on his chest, and once more he couldn't help but feel incredibly hot – just from her touch. "Leave what they're doing to me."******

**Gods it was hot… he felt like he wanted to lose the jacket, but worried that would send the wrong impression. Instead, he smiled in what he hoped was a casual manner.**

"Is she threatening him?" Blake wondered.

"Obviously." Weiss huffed causing Blake to roll her eyes.

"No I mean, is the act of putting her hand on his chest like that a threat?"****

**"I didn't mean it like that, just that my own cover might be blown if my `friends from Vacuo` do something foolish." Like murder someone, or break into the Headmaster's office and steal valuable documents… though what they thought Ozpin might keep in his office, he wasn't sure. He dreaded to imagine what stupid little things Ozpin considered **_**valuable.**_****

**"Rest assured they won't do anything to give you any trouble," she said as she removed her hand from his chest, "in fact they won't be doing anything that could get them arrested at all. Or if they do, they'll be answering to me."**

"It's like… I want to be worried…but for some reason I just can't." Nora hummed thoughtfully as her brows furrowed in thought.****

**And from those words alone he doubted whoever they were would even try. At least that meant he wouldn't need to worry about them getting him in trouble, and to be honest it made a certain amount of sense. If they were coming in as temporary transfer students then whatever they wanted in Beacon, they probably wanted to get done quietly, and then leave when the others did. Surely for criminals like them, getting the police – or worse, the hunters involved – was truly the last resort?******

**"I'm glad to hear that, well as long as they aren't going to do anything foolish then I don't see why I can't agree to that." She smiled brightly, as she held her glass out once more for him to tap his own against. Clearly, she thought she'd managed to win him over with her honeyed words, but the joke was on her – he'd already decided to agree with her at the start to pay off that favor to Roman!******

**…******

**Okay, that didn't make as much sense as it had in his mind. Still, in a way she hadn't won – everyone had just lost, her included. Sort of.******

_**I should slow down on the wine…**_

There was muffled laughter as Jaune buried his face into his hands.****

**"I suppose you're associates will be coming in with the other transferees then? If the issue comes up I will say I recognize them – though I hope you'll forgive if I say I haven't been in touch with them since the fall?"******

**"That's more than acceptable," she whispered as she leaned back with a lazy smile, "it's good to see you can look after yourself. I suppose if something does go wrong you can now claim they must have gotten involved in crime after Vacuo."******

**"That's the idea. So, are we done here?"**

"Not a good way to excuse yourself Jaune." Pyrrha chided him lightly

"What's a better way than?" Jaune questioned curiously.

Weiss hummed as she closed her eyes in thought. "Rather than asking if you're done, you could've asked if there was anything else, or cite an intention to begin working on a project or task that needs to be done."****

**"Oh, so eager to be done with me?" Her tone was flirtatious, though he couldn't help but notice a deadly edge to it, he smiled and laughed.******

**"Only a fool would be eager to be away from you Cinder," he said as he tried to imagine what his father might say, "but certainly some might begin to notice my absence if I stay any longer."******

**"Such charming words," she purred, "but I suppose you are right. Never mind… I'm sure we will see one another again." They rose from the couch, him holding out a hand to help her – earning another smile. Across from them Neo and Roman did the same, the latter's cigar flipping from the left side of his mouth to the right.**

"Someday you really must introduce us to your father," Pyrrha mentioned looking at her partner. "I'm truly curious about the context of his advice to you."

"P-money, we all know that's not the real reason you want to meet his parents." Yang teased while Pyrrha blushed at being called out on it.****

**"Well, charming as always Cinder," Roman said unconvincingly, "but as you say places to be, things to steal – we'll get out of your hair."******

**"Yes Roman, do see to your other tasks." The famous criminal flinched but laughed nonetheless, as he ushered Jaune from the room, Neo in close pursuit.******

**Roman dragged him deeper into the warehouse before he spoke, and the intent was clear – he didn't want Cinder to overhead any of what they were saying. Eventually, however, the three of them stopped. With Roman slumped back against a crate of dust.******

**"Damn kid… I don't know if you're a genius or just plain lucky. No wait, I know which one it is…"**

"I mean, aside from all the criminal elements you really have to admit that Jaune is incredibly lucky." Blake pointed out getting nods from the others.

"Yeah, but I think it balances out with the situations I seem to get thrown into all the time in this." Jaune mused.

"I don't know, it sounds like you're making money at least." Ruby countered as she pouted. "Imagine everything you could do with a Beacon Teacher's pay!"

"Really…?" Jaune asked in deadpan as the others raised their eyebrows at the young reaper.****

**"Well you didn't exactly help with the way you made me do all the talking," Jaune argued as he threw his hands in the air. "What the hell happened to `just let me do all the talking` - you were quieter than Neo!"******

**"Oh well, I thought you had it handled quite well. I mean I loved the way you walked in and just stared at her legs." Jaune flushed, looking away as Neo laughed silently at his distress. "Fuck's sake kid – she could have had a gun or anything, but nooo – let's focus on the legs."******

**"Yeah well, she wasn't armed, was she?" He groused as he folded his arms across his chest. Roman froze, as did Neo. The two of them looking at him as if he had said something particularly incomprehensible.**

"Did we miss something?" Yang asked looking at her friends.

"Maybe something related to the heat he mentioned?" Coco wondered "You know like something related to fire?"

"You mean like the woman in red who saved Torchwick from Professor Goodwitch?" Ruby wondered aloud as things started clicking together for the students.****

**"Unarmed?" Roman choked, as he buckled over in laughter. "Oh shit, kid – that's rich. You didn't even realize did you?" Contrary to the amusement Roman felt, Neo looked frustrated, her hands thrown in the air as she looked at Jaune as though he were the biggest moron.******

**"Okay sure, laugh it up – I don't need you to tell me I don't notice things, thanks. Just tell me what I apparently missed."******

**"Well I don't know," Roman chortled as he got himself back under control, "did you perhaps notice anything weird when she touched you. Like when you shook hands, or she placed her hand on your chest?"**

"Definitely something fire-related," Blake confirmed as the mysterious lady in red sounded more and more like Cinder as they watched.****

**Had he?******

**"Well, I mean… I felt a little hot, like under the collar… but I'm only seventeen and she was being pretty suggestive."******

**Roman stared at him, as did Neo. Time seemed to tick by, a few seconds – maybe even a full minute. Before eventually, Neo rolled her eyes before placing her head into her hands. Roman on the other hand nearly bent double in laughter.******

**"Hot under the collar!" He choked as he slammed a fist on the crate next to him. "Oh shit, that's amazing. I bet she had you all hot and bothered eh?"**

Jaune grimaced as the two criminals expressed their disbelief in their own ways. "It's not like I could know that she was threatening me when she's being suitably subtle."

"I don't know, you'd think a sudden increase in heat would set off alarm bells in your head." Coco pointed out as she looked at Jaune.

"You're also not a young straight man who's never had a date in their life." Jaune countered with a small amount of self-deprecation. Coco shrugged, not like she could argue with those points.****

**"Yeah, yeah – laugh it up," Jaune said with a grimace, knowing he deserved the ribbing. It was hardly his fault though, she was like Yang – except twice as gorgeous and she knew exactly how to use it. Roman had been right to call her dangerous.******

**"Aw man, that's great. Well, allow me to explain why she had you all `hot and bothered` - what makes our dear Cinder so dangerous is her semblance. The power to control fire."******

**…******

**Oh…******

**That made… a certain amount of sense. So when she had held his hand and he had felt like it was on fire?**

"Ah…" the first years all palmed their faces as things clicked in Professor Arc's mind.****

**"She nearly killed me?" He managed to whisper. Roman nodded, and Neo did a second later. "Oh…" Jaune slumped back against one of the crates, his hand coming up to scratch at the metal plate on his chest. Which he now noticed was warped slightly. "Holy shit… Wait, why didn't you say anything!?"******

**"What did you want us to say?" Roman threw his arms wide. "Was I supposed to stand up and say `hey boss who can kill me at any moment – please don't set fire to the kid.`" The criminal popped another cigar into his mouth, taking a long drag and blowing some smoke towards the ceiling. "She wasn't trying to kill you anyway, don't ask me why but she just does that every now and then. I think she likes to see you back down, prove she could kill you at any moment."**

"That would only work for so long before people start thinking of rebelling right?" Velvet asked curiously.

"Who knows, she might have tighter leashes than just fear on people." Ren supposed with a shrug. "I know not, how the minds of criminals work.****

**Okay… so it was just a threat, that was fine… except he hadn't backed down had he? Oh Gods, was she going to keep doing it to see how long it took him to give up?******

**"I just painted a target on myself by not backing down didn't I?" He sighed, head drooping when Neo gave him a thumbs up.******

**"Probably." Roman shrugged. "Either way, we're alive – that's a minor victory for us. Just do what she says when her associates drop by, and honestly try and keep out of their way. If they do anything to get in trouble, just drop 'em and say you didn't realize."**

"Somehow I can't see that working out." Weiss sighed before patting Jaune on the back. "If it's any consolation, I think this you is doing a good job all things considered.

"Really?" Jaune asked hesitantly.

"All things considered."****

**"Why do you work for her anyway, if she scares you that much? Somehow I figured you'd be smarter than that." The orange-haired man hesitated, as smoke puffed around his cheeks. With a sigh he spat out the cigar, letting it sizzle on the hard floor.******

**"Smart enough to keep myself alive kid. There's no rules or laws down here. I didn't sign up to join her little operation – I was **_**recruited**_**." Jaune didn't ask how – not when he could see the frustrated look on Roman's face. He supposed recruitment came suddenly, and probably without the option of retirement – or saying no.**

"I suppose we should ask Neo about all this, the next time she drops in?" Ruby asked looking around for input.

"Probably, it would be smart to see how much of this is similar to our world." Blake agreed with a sigh.

"We should also let Professor Goodwitch know." Yang pointed out getting nods from the others.****

**"Well," the criminal shrugged as he tossed something towards Jaune. The blonde caught the bottle clumsily, juggling it for a moment before taking hold. It was a bottle of the wine Cinder had shared with them. This one unopened. "Cheers kid – that's your initiation present. Trust me, you might want to drown yourself in it tonight. Neo, be a dear and guide the dear Professor home."******

**"Wh- no wait I can wal-" Jaune cried out before the world folded and his spine became one with his knees, feet, face and everything else.**

"I _never_ want to travel via the Neo express" Jaune muttered looking green around the gills.****

**"How did it go?" The grey-haired teen asked uncertainly. She fixed him with a short look, her face perfectly calm. He began to fidget nervously, and she smiled at the effect she had on him.******

**"Everything went as planned dear Mercury," she said as she sat down in her apartment. Emerald, the dear, handed her a glass of red wine. "Our entrance to Beacon is all but assured, though we will need to be careful once we're there." Unsaid went the accusation that it was **_**they**_** who would need to watch themselves. They nodded regardless, catching her intent.******

**"And Roman's contact?" The small dark-skinned girl sat down on one of the nearby seats. "Is he someone we should watch out for?"**

"Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder huh?" Yang asked as she folded her arms. "Guess we should look out for all three just in case.

"You are right." Weiss agreed as the others nodded as well.****

**Cinder paused. One finger coming up to trace around the rim of her glass, her eyes staring into the inviting red depths. The two teens didn't speak, they knew better than to interrupt her when she was thinking – or doing anything, really.******

**"He is someone to watch," she agreed eventually, though she didn't elaborate. He certainly was someone to watch. At first, she had thought him foolish, easily ensnared by her charms until he could be just another piece of putty in her hands.******

**Had that been a clever feint by him? He'd reacted so obviously to the sight of her – as he should – for she was beautiful. But he had failed to show any discomfort when she used her semblance on him… twice no less. The first time had been something small, little more than a silent show of power, not so dissimilar to squeezing someone's hand.**

"I…don't know how to feel about all this." Pyrrha eventually admitted

"They're overestimating Jaune to his benefit," Ren stated simply. "Just be glad that they're not trying to kill him right now." Pyrrha simply frowned when she couldn't argue that point.****

**He hadn't acted as though he didn't feel it… he just **_**hadn't**_** felt it.******

**And then, when she leaned across him for the wine – sure he had paid attention to her. But he hadn't taken the bait, not even when she rested her leg on his own. A man like him, capable of infiltrating Beacon without difficulty… that took a certain level of confidence, yet he hadn't accepted her tacit invitation.******

**Had that been a rejection?******

**No… Surely not. He was simply keeping things professional. Clearly, he had seen through her attempts to charm him, she'd been too obvious perhaps. Underestimated him.**

"Oh boy, if we see her turn on the flirts, even more, I'm not sure my heart could handle it." Yang fanned herself some more while the others just looked at her oddly.

"You…" Blake trailed off as she looked for the words she wanted to use. "You're surprisingly pure aren't you?"

Ruby snorted. "Check her browser history."

Blake couldn't keep the laughter in as Yang's face turned bright cherry red. "She's surprisingly weak to flirtations?" she questioned looking to Ruby for the answer.

"She loves Romance Dramas."

"Ah projected fantasies then."

"I will make your lives hell," Yang promised once she finally managed to recompose herself.

Blake pressed her breasts together with her arms while batting her eyelashes at the brawler "You won't forgive me?" she asked huskily. Yang's face turned bright red again as the others laughed.****

**She wouldn't make that mistake again… Jaune Arc was clearly a very dangerous man, one that would need to be watched closely. He had proven it by daring to defy her, to question her when she had demanded her favor from him.******

**And then, when she had placed a hand firmly over his heart – the clearest and deadliest threat she could make that didn't involve literally setting him on **_**fire.**_****

**He had just calmly explained his reasoning.******

**Calmly **_**explained**_** – without fear, without discomfort. Hell, he'd looked mildly confused. She held a hand up before her and frowned as it burst into roaring flames. Mercury and Emerald flinched, as though wondering what they had done to displease her. She snuffed it out a second later.**

"Somehow, that does not look like a semblance." Ren pointed out as the others sucked in a breath at the sight.

"Like something a little more perhaps?" Their host questioned causing some of the teens to jump having forgotten he was also present.

"Yeah, something like that." Ren agreed.

"Perhaps an inquiry should be made to one who has many years of experience?" Fox suggested simply as he held out a plate cookies for everyone to partake in.****

**Fire was easy, it was hungry and longed to happen – but when she super-heated her hand and placed it upon a person, it was hotter than fire. Burned fiercer and with enough concentration could melt through steel and flesh with equal ease. Obviously, she hadn't made it **_**that**_** hot when she was threatening someone whose cooperation she required – but even so, there should have been some reaction.******

**"Emerald."******

**"Y-yes?" The girl shivered nervously but answered nonetheless. "What can I do boss?"******

**"Once you are in Beacon I want you to find your way into this man's confidence, by whatever means you find necessary. Find out about him, what makes him tick, what he likes, dislikes. Weaknesses, strengths. Find it all."******

**"O-of course. I'll do whatever is needed."**

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Jaune muttered worriedly.

"I wonder what her semblance is." Ruby wondered seeing as Emerald was specifically tasked with gathering information.****

**Jaune Arc… such an interesting name, perfect for such an interestingly dangerous man. She would find out what there was to know about him and then make her decision. If he was a threat, she would remove him.******

**But maybe…******

**Perhaps he had the potential to become something more?******

**Cruel amber eyes drifted closed as she savored the fine nectar, relishing every last drop. It certainly looked like things would be interesting in the coming days. Perhaps… Hmm yes, maybe a small change to her plans was in order.******

**Yes…******

**After all, she did look a little bit older than Mercury and Emerald.**

"Oh god, we're going to be calling her a teacher," Blake muttered as she paled. The others shivered in disgust.****

_**What a day…**_** Jaune sighed as he pushed open the door to his office and stepped inside, Neo having long since vanished to indulge herself in some comfort ice-cream. He had come out alive, although more entrenched in criminal activity than he had ever wished for. Even if it was soon to be by omission only.******

**Why couldn't Ozpin have just taken him in as a student? He would have been the most epic student, brave and strong – and a hit with all the women.**

Yang snorted as Ruby covered her mouth to hide her laughter. Jaune frowned as the others likewise looked away from him muffled laughter filling the room. "I am not that bad."

"But you're definitely not as brave and strong as Professor Arc believes he would've been." Ruby got out between giggles.

"And calling you a hit with all the women is a bit of a stretch." Yang pointed out as Jaune just sighed.****

**Such dreams were pointless at that moment, however, and he didn't even bother to flick on the light as he shuffled across the dim room, idly placing the bottle on his coffee table. Assuming Neo didn't drain it dry he was going to try and make that last.******

**"I've been expecting you." A voice spoke suddenly, making him yelp as he spun about and reached for his weapon. Except he hadn't taken that with him, too much risk – and Roman had said to go unarmed.******

**His eyes narrowed as he peered through the gloom towards his desk, noticing the chair behind it was turned so he couldn't see the person in it. Honestly, Blake sat in it more than he did, whenever she was doing his work for him.**

"Coco!" Velvet admonished her leader easily recognizing the voice.

"What?" Coco yelped as Velvet smacked her repeated with her fists****

**"Who's there? This is a teacher's office – I doubt you're supposed to be here."******

**The chair spun slowly around, as the lamp on his desk flickered to life. Bright beams of white light reflected on the black glass as the figure steepled their hands before them, fingers interlocking as they stared at him over the top. Dark brown hair and a black beret adorned the head, as the glasses slowly dipped down a small nose, showing dangerously narrowed brown eyes.******

**"Hello Professor," the figure said softly, "I think it's time we talked."**

"Oh my gods, you broke into a teacher's office and threatened them." Velvet moaned aloud as she buried her face into her hands.

"Hey! I need to make sure our Bun is back on our team!" Coco argued indignantly. "I'm doing this for you!"

As the two second years argued the first years shrugged and watched as the Omake began.****

**Omake: **

**"I…" Jaune paused, his voice catching in his throat as the other teachers looked at him. This was the moment he had been dreading for so long. But Glynda, Ozpin, Oobleck… even Port (when he wasn't doing something stupid and getting Jaune in trouble) – they were all his friends. They deserved to know the truth. "I have something to confess."**

"Is this one where Jaune admits his forged credentials?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Seems like it." Blake nodded her head as things began to play out.****

**"Your attraction to Glynda?" Oobleck guessed, before ducking as said woman nearly decapitated him with her crop.******

**"You got a student pregnant?" Ozpin threw his own two liens in, "it was Velvet wasn't it – I **_**knew**_** getting you to counsel her would work – cough up the money Bart, Peter."******

**"No!" Jaune yelled, his face going red as he pointed at Ozpin. "And the pairing is still unconfirmed!" He added as he turned to Peter, "So stop shipping."**

"What?" the room asked in unison as they turned to Fox for help.

The being simply shrugged his shoulders.****

**"Unconfirmed my ass," Glynda mumbled inaudibly.******

**"Anyway," Jaune pushed bravely on, hoping to just drown them all out by speaking louder (it worked when his mum did it) "I have something I need to admit to you all. I'm… not the man I have claimed to be."******

**This was it… the moment he revealed the truth and sealed his fate. His position, his life – every relationship he had, they would all be irrevocably altered by-**

"This is going to be good," Yang whispered to Blake who simply nodded her head.****

**"Are you a bear?" Oobleck cocked his head, inspecting him from every angle.******

**"What? No, I'm a fake! I'm not actually a teacher."******

**"Well, of course, you're a support teacher," Glynda laughed.******

**"No," he shook his head, "more than that. I'm sorry Glynda, I lied about my past. I'm not a support teacher – I didn't train at Vacuo… I'm only seventeen. I- I lied about everything."**

Everyone held a breath, even Coco and Velvet who had settled things down about the previous actual scene.****

**Silence. Complete silence as the assorted adults looked towards him.******

**"J-Jaune…" The only woman in the room managed, he didn't dare meet her eyes.******

**"Mr. Arc," the Headmaster began as he took a sip of his coffee, "this is quite the serious issue you have brought before us. I'm surprised you would even admit it."**

"He looks kind of serious." Ruby pointed out having overheard her sister whispering to Blake.****

**"I know," Jaune said, eyes firm as he looked at them. "I can't live with the lie any longer, however, and am willing to accept my job termination, and my arrest if needs be." Ozpin and Glynda looked troubled, but before they could say anything – support came from an unlikely source.******

**"No!" Oobleck cried, standing up as he strode to Jaune's side. "I won't allow it. Mr. Arc has been a valued member of the team and… and I am a fake too!"******

**"What!?" Glynda cried out, as everyone – including Jaune recoiled.******

**"Is this true Bart?" Ozpin demanded.**

Weiss looked baffled as the others simply tilted their heads in confusion. "What?" she whispered quietly.****

**"It is." The history Professor confirmed – "I didn't intend to be a hunter. I was thirsty and followed the smell of coffee until I came upon a room with it. I didn't realize it was a job interview and just gave whatever answers were necessary to keep the coffee flowing."******

**"We did drink a lot of coffee that day," Ozpin reminisced with a fond smile. "Still to hear that you fooled me as well…"******

**"It is not just he, Ozpin," Peter Port laughed, striding forward. "I am no Hunter – I was but a TV advertisement actor for a Bullhead insurance comparison company, I would sing opera – and was hated by all… Until I became a teacher, beloved and respected by all his students."******

**No one had the heart to correct him.******

**"All three of you?" The Headmaster sighed. "That is troublesome, or it would be – if I hadn't already known."**

"What…" Weiss repeated apparently broken as her eyes dilated.

"Uh…" Jaune waved a hand in front of her face. He frowned in concern when she didn't respond.****

**"Ozpin!?" Glynda gasped, as the man stood up, and threw his cane aside.******

**"For I too am a fake!" He shouted. "I'm not a Headmaster, nor even injured – I can't fight, and I sure as Hell don't know anything about paperwork."******

**"That explains a lot…"******

**"But," the Headmaster continued, "this has long been a tradition of Beacon Academy, we relish our fakers here. Our cheats and our delinquents. All the teachers here are fake, and so it had always – and will always be."******

**Jaune gasped as a smile broke over his face. He wasn't alone in his situation? It felt as though a weight had removed itself from him – and he could walk free once more.**

There was a loud thud as Weiss collapsed onto the ground. "Should… should we do something?" Nora stage whispered as they all looked at the Heiress' prone form.****

**"Wait, wait, wait!" Glynda cried out, stepping between them. "**_**I'm**_** not a fake – I'm a trained teacher!"******

**"You are?" The Headmaster raised one brow. "Genius! You're a teacher who faked not being a teacher, so I would hire you!"******

**"No!" The woman said, hands on her hips. "I didn't fake anything, I'm an actual teacher."******

**"Wow, Glynda…" Peter Port comforted as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "That must have been hard to admit, I respect you for it."******

**"What!?"**

"I'm kind of glad Professor Goodwitch isn't here to see this," Jaune muttered as the absurdity continued.

"Ditto."****

**"I too Glynda," Oobleck said as he tipped his mug in her direction. "It was brave of you to admit something like that, and I want you to know I think no less of you for actually being a teacher."******

**"That doesn't even make sense," the woman said, though her arms had fallen to her side in shock. "You're completely missing the point."******

**"Exactly," the Headmaster agreed. "Rest assured Glynda I will keep your dirty little secret safe. It shall die with us, and no one shall ever suspect you're a real teacher."******

**"I still respect you!" Jaune cried out his own support.******

**"Rarghh!" The woman growled as she started to smash her head against a nearby wall.**

"Maybe some wine for that gift basket," Blake muttered as she jotted down some ideas.

"Oh did I miss something?" Glynda asked as she stepped into the room with Ozpin.

"Uh…" Yang looked around silently asking if she should explain. "It was one of those joke segments." She began looking at the Headmaster curiously who had remained silent. "Turns out you're the only one among the staff actually trained to be a teacher."

Glynda rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised." He muttered under her breath as the Headmaster coughed.

"That aside." The man began as he looked around in interest. "I've been informed of what's happening here, and I found myself curious enough to see it for myself." He explained his presence simply.

"Huh…" Fox scratched his ears in confusion.

"How did you arrive here though? I am quite sure that without teams RWBY and JNPR the reality that you know and experience should have been stuck in time."

The students glanced at their headmaster curiously waiting for his answer.

Ozpin simply smiled in his knowing manner "You will find, my young host, that I am one of few who are able to ignore that particular restriction."

"Ah… I believe I understand." Fox hummed. "In any case I welcome you, please take a seat we shall begin the next segment shortly."


	15. Reading chapter 15

Ozpin hummed softly as he adjusted himself in the seat Fox had provided for him as the students gave him a quick rundown on what had transpired so far. "So this Cinder Fall is a criminal higher up than even Roman Torchwick?" he mused aloud.

"If any of this has relevancy to our own world." Pyrrha felt compelled to remind him.

"True, true, it would not do to unjustly accuse someone of such diabolical machinations." The headmaster hummed once more as he accepted a cup of coffee from their host.

"Shall I keep an eye out for these three then just in case?" Glynda inquired as she jotted down the physical descriptions of Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury.

"Discretely of course," Ozpin added in.

"Of course." Glynda rolled her eyes. "I'm not Qrow." Ruby and Yang chuckled a bit at the dig at their uncle.

"Uncle Qrow is kind of… bad at keeping a low profile." Ruby muttered in between giggles.

"How do you mean?" Pyrrha asked curiously.

"Well, you just have to follow the string of bad luck to find him." Yang mused with a grin.

"Like that one time, your semblance just spontaneously activated and set the forest on fire when you ran out to meet him?" Ruby asked getting chuckles from her friends as Yang blushed a little.

"Or that time when you tripped on air and face planted into Dad's fresh apple pie." Yang grinned widely as Ruby shot to her feet.

"You had to have staged that! There's no way I could trip in the living room and then face plant into Dad's pie which was on the kitchen windowsill!"

"What?" Weiss muttered baffled by how that could happen.

"Ah, maybe we should just start the next segment?" Jaune interrupted as the sisters looked ready to start delving into every single embarrassment their uncle's luck had caused them.

**Jaune flinched as the words washed over him, pushing him back as he tried to regain control of the situation. Dark glasses fixed on him, a flash of light sketching across their surface as the brown-haired figure remained motionless. No fear, no hesitation – her beret held still as she maintained her pose.**

…

**"I have no idea who you are," Jaune admitted, wondering if he had just ruined her introduction with that comment. The girl did sigh, though less in disappointment and more in the way one might when you had to deal with a particularly small and irritating child. One gloved hand came up to lower her glasses before she gave him a short look.**

**"Coco," the girl said, "Coco Adel."**

Velvet smacked her leader's arm once more in irritation. Coco idly rubbed the spot she hit but otherwise said nothing opting to wait and see just what her alternative self was doing.

"You've got to admit that Coco has some pretty strong nerves to threaten a teacher." Yang grinned as she reclined in her seat.

"I don't think that's something you should compliment." Weiss pointed out with a scowl.

"Of course _you'd_ think that." Yang rolled her eyes while Ruby and Blake huffed in amusement at their partners' antics.

**He waited for her to continue, she seemed willing to do the same, as the two matched stares across the dim room. What was he supposed to do in this kind of situation? He really felt he should be more prepared since random girls breaking into his rooms appeared to be a common occurrence nowadays.**

**His mother would be so proud.**

**"Well Miss Adel, if you're looking for counseling then I might be able to arrange-"**

"**I'm not here for that," she said quickly, cutting him off mid-sentence. "But it's glad to see I've found the right man. You **_**are**_** Professor Jaune Arc right, new teacher and student counselor?"**

"Okay, cause that's not ominous," Jaune muttered while rubbing his forehead.

"You'd rather I hold you at gunpoint?" Coco asked looking at Jaune curiously.

"I'd rather you make an appointment…" Jaune muttered as Pyrrha laughed while patting his back.

**"Well considering you broke into Professor Arc's office I should hope so." He snarked as he wandered over to the kitchenette, placing the bottle of red wine down on the side. He looked at it for a moment, before hiding it in a cupboard. Damn it, but he intended to enjoy that himself – not watch Neo steal it.**

**Or get drunk **_**again.**_

**"You'd really think so," the girl sighed as she drew her feet up, resting her heavy boots on his desk with a loud click of heels on wood. "But since I let myself in there's been at least three other people break in – mostly women I should add."**

Jaune just stared at Blake and Yang with a raised eyebrow. "Why did you instantly assume it was me?" Yang asked indignantly. Jaune simply raised an eyebrow

_**Neo, Blake, and…**_

**"Was the last one blonde?" She nodded and he rubbed his head in frustration. Damn it, Yang… He'd need to set up some traps or something. Nothing too dangerous of course... Nah, she was a huntress - she'd be able to handle it. "Well if you're not here for counseling…?"**

**"Just for a chat," the girl chuckled – apparently completely calm despite breaking into a teacher's room and commandeering his desk. Not that he ever actually sat at it, in fact, that was pretty much Blake's seat by this point. "A friendly discussion if you will."**

"Coco…" Velvet sighed tiredly.

"What?" Coco asked, "I'm being nice!"

**"Can't it wait until the morning?"**

**"It can," he sighed in relief, "but I won't." Ugh… never mind then. Out of all the things his colleagues had taught him he wondered why it had never been Glynda's uncanny ability to cow people into doing what she wanted. That would be a nice skill to have… With a deep sigh, he settled down into one of his plush couches, ignoring the smile that stole across her features. If she thought it a sign of victory that she got the rigid desk chair then she was in for a rude awakening.**

**It was uncomfortable as hell.**

Nora snickered as Ren smiled softly. "Just like fearless leader!" she declared "take the better spot while making it sound like you got the better one."

Ruby shot a questioning look at Jaune only to receive a shrug in response.

**"I'm actually here to talk about a mutual acquaintance we have," he stiffened at her words, wondering if she was the vaunted contact within Beacon that Cinder had spoken of. Or worse, what if this was someone who knew his involvement with Roman and wanted to blackmail him? "My old pal Velvet."**

**Or… it could be the harmless rabbit faunus who was getting bullied. That worked too.**

**"Miss Scarlatina?"**

**"Yup, I'm her team leader actually."**

"Ah…I see trouble coming." Ozpin muttered, used to such issues.

"Agreed." Glynda nodded her head.

**"Isn't that Ren?" He said without thinking before something clicked in his brain. Velvet had come from another team initially and… oh right… He winced lightly as her heeled boots slammed down on the table, first one – and then the other. He could already imagine how badly the surface was damaged.**

**"No," she said pointedly, "it's not." An afternoon spent with a murderous criminal had given his self-preservation instincts a good workout already, so luckily he didn't feel the need to correct her on that front. If she wanted to argue about getting the girl back on her old team she could take it up with Glynda.**

**"So… you… want to talk about her?" Honestly, what was she expecting from him? **_**She**_** broke into his room, **_**she**_** waited for him to come back from Vale. **_**She**_** was the one that said they needed to talk. Would it be too much to ask for her to actually get to the point? So he could maybe get a bath, make a snack – and have an early night.**

Glynda hummed "Yes, please do get to the point miss Adel." She adjusted her glasses causing them to glimmer in the room's light.

Coco swallowed nervously as she adjusted her collar. "Right…" she muttered

"Glynda, please do go easy on the students when it's their alternate selves that cause trouble." Ozpin lightly chided his closest ally.

**"Vel's told me a lot about you actually," Coco shrugged elegantly as she leaned back into his seat, "not sure what to think of everything she says, but enough to get me interested."**

_**Is that a good thing?**_

**"For instance, she's told me how you keep dropping these less-than-subtle hints about her coming to you for counseling or support." Okay, that was true… and also meant that Velvet definitely **_**did**_** know what he was suggesting. Which means the only reason she hadn't come to him actually **_**was**_** that she was being ridiculously stubborn.**

"Miss Scarlatina," Ozpin spoke up catching the Rabbit Faunus' attention. "I feel like I shouldn't need to, but I'll do so anyway. If there is an issue between yourself and another student you are more than welcome to bring it to the attention of the staff here at Beacon. You do not need to do everything yourself."

"I'm fine, it's nothing I can't handle…" Velvet smiled weakly as Blake frowned.

Yang sighed softly as she leaned closer to Blake. "She really won't ask for help at all on this huh?" she asked in barely a whisper.

Blake nodded her head noting how Velvet's ears twitched slightly at Yang's words.

**Though did it even matter anymore, since she had somehow apparently become best friends with her bullies? He'd need to keep an eye on that, it had only been a single day and gratitude could wane…**

**"She's also told me how you keep an eye on her," true again, he supposed. But she was the student being harassed the most, so it made sense they all kept an eye on her. "All these little hints to her… inviting her to your office… your eyes following her in the cafeteria…" The girl's brown eyes hardened, even as his own blue orbs became wide with horror.**

**"N-no no no!" He stammered as he reared up in his seat, arms waving before him. "She **_**totally**_** has the wrong idea!" Had that honestly been the image he'd given off when he tried to offer her counseling? That he was some kind of crazed stalker trying to her alone in his office so he could have his wicked way with her? He knew he was bad with women, but this was just ridiculous.**

"Was that how Jaune came off?" Ruby asked looking at her team for answers. "It didn't seem that way to me."

"I mean." Weiss hesitated as she glanced around "Think about it Ruby, that Velvet doesn't know anything at all about Professor Arc."

"Yeah so?" Ruby asked not getting it at all.

Blake took pity on Weiss who clearly did not know how to explain things to something that pure and naïve "Ruby think about it this way." She began getting Ruby's attention. "Would you trust a brand new teacher with helping you maintain Crescent Rose?"

"No of course not only I know how to properly maintain my baby!" Ruby declared adamantly.

"Now what if that said teacher kept on implying that they could and that you should meet them in their personal forge to work on it?"

"That actually sounds really uncomfortable," Ruby admitted as she rubbed her arms.

"That's how the version of Velvet in the story sees Professor Arc. Plainly put, she doesn't trust him and thinks he might be trying to take advantage of her."

"I… think I get it," Ruby muttered clearly unhappy that Jaune was being thought of that way. Even if it was a different version of him.

**"Hmmm…" the girl said, clearly unconvinced. "Why don't you tell me what it was all about then?"**

**"The Headmaster wanted me to extend the offer of counseling to her since we knew she was being bullied." If in doubt, blame Ozpin – he'd learned that lesson fairly quickly, and it honestly seemed to work on literally everyone who knew the man. He could probably use it **_**on**_** Ozpin, and the man would just nod in understanding.**

**"Yeah, I figured it was something like that," she said as she rose to her feet and walked to sit opposite him, in what was typically deemed Neo's couch. The brunette fixed him with a piercing look as she sat down. "Thing is… if you all knew it was happening – then why the hell didn't any of you **_**do **_**anything about it!?"**

"A valid question all things considered," Ren noted looking to the two teachers for answers.

"As hunters and huntresses in training, students should strive to try all options before deciding that a solution is out of their reach," Ozpin explained calmly.

"So if Velvet went to her team and her team beat them up that would be okay?" Yang questioned seeing as that was what Coco would do to team CRDL if she knew about it.

"So long as it is through a sanctioned spar overseen by a teacher," Glynda answered simply as she shrugged her shoulders.

Coco palmed her face. "Why didn't I think of that?" she groaned loudly as Velvet tried to cheer her up.

**"Why didn't you?" He asked without thinking. He knew it was the wrong response even as it passed his lips, but if he hadn't realized – then the expression on her face would have told him he'd fucked up.**

**"You think we didn't want to?" Coco swung both her arms wide, as though addressing an audience, "I wanted to go over there and split his damn head open – but Vel wouldn't have it. So instead I spent two weeks wondering why the staff didn't seem to give a shit."**

**"If we didn't care then we wouldn't have tried to reach out to Miss Scarlatina."**

"Another error in judgment that many young leaders make through no fault of their own," Ozpin noted catching the attention of the three team leads in the room. "Sometimes an individual can't be trusted to make the best decision for themselves. If that happens and it affects the team as a whole, as a leader it is your responsibility to see to it."

Coco hummed "So let's say Velvet is getting bullied to the point where it affects her performance." She began getting a nod from the headmaster to continue. "As her team leader, I can make it my business to resolve the issue either through the sanctioned spars mentioned earlier or confronting the bullies myself?"

"Within reason, which is a separate matter entirely." Glynda cautioned. "Miss Adel, keep in mind leadership is not something one just decides to learn one day. Every situation is different even if they look exactly the same. While the sparring idea may be a decent enough answer to Team CRDL's bullying I doubt it would be the same if it were a full Faunus team troubling Miss Scarlatina."

"So I need to try to understand the whole situation before stepping in." Coco summed up.

"Indeed, also knowing when an issue is something that your team members need to figure out on their own is equally important," Ozpin advised. "Such as matters of the heart or family issues."

**"Which is why I'm confused. So why don't you do your job Professor, and tell me what lesson you're trying to impart."**

**"Teamwork," Jaune said quickly – more an excuse than anything, but it still drew an incredibly unimpressed expression from her.**

**"Teamwork?" She repeated.**

**"Teamwork," he confirmed.**

**"If this is some kind of `**_**with teamwork we can get past our difficulties**_**` line, then I think we're going to have issues. I was hoping for a more proactive lesson."**

"Power of friendship!" Ruby cheered as her friends laughed

"Sometimes that's all you need," Ozpin smiled in good humor as he considered what could have been.

**"It kind of is," Jaune shrugged, "when I said teamwork I meant it a little more literally… if you wanted the bullying to stop, then you could have just gathered your team and beat them up."**

**The brown-haired girl froze, eyes blinking slowly as she seemed to look past him. For a moment he imagined he could actually balance something on her head and she wouldn't even realize. Or she might instinctively snap and rip his face off… it was hard to tell with these women.**

**"You're telling me…" she made motions with her hands, talking very slowly – as though to a child, "that if we had just beaten the crap out of them, no one would care?"**

"Within reason." Glynda re-iterated.

**"Well, this **_**is**_** a combat school… we kind of encourage violence as a way to solve problems here."**

**"Excuse me for a second," the girl said as she strode over to his bathroom, closing the door and locking herself inside. He winced as he heard her scream, a foul-mouthed tirade coming through the walls as she ranted away. It continued for a full minute; before she allowed herself back out with a neutral expression.**

**"How do you know your way around my room?" Was honestly the only thing he could think to ask.**

"Yeah, Coco how do you know your way around a Man's room." Yang teased the older student who lowered her shades to glare at the grinning blonde.

**"Been here a while," the girl shrugged as she sat back down, "I've been waiting for you for the last four hours – even cooked myself some pasta. There are some leftovers in the fridge for you."**

**"Thank you?" He wasn't sure whether to be offended or pleased with the intrusion, but on the bright side – food!**

Coco glanced around the room as everyone else just kind of stared at her. "What? I obviously didn't know when he'd be back and didn't want to miss him."

"Just make an appointment?" Weiss suggested incredulously.

"Not as intimidating." Coco waved the suggestion off instantly.

"Certainly more efficient," Weiss grumbled under her breath.

**"So now that we've assured you don't have a creepy bunny fetish, and so don't need to die," he winced at the words, especially since upon first seeing the young girl that **_**had**_** been his first thought. "We can move onto the other matter. Tell me, Professor, how is Vel settling into her new team?"**

**How well? Jaune shook his head as he sighed. Team Raven, one he had named, and so in some weird way actually felt responsible for, was not doing well. With Pyrrha spending more time with Team RWBY, and Ren and Nora content with each other, the team was an absolute mess. As for Velvet?**

**"Not well. She's completely unwilling to give the team a chance, and it's causing all of them to fracture. Her partner has even gone so far as to make friends with other teams because she's given up on ever receiving any attention from Velvet."**

"Ouch…" Yang winced. "Put like that it seemed really bad didn't it?"

Pyrrha dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief "Vel doesn't like me" she pretended to wail causing Velvet to panic as she assured the Spartan that she did indeed find her pleasant to be around.

Coco leaned in towards Jaune. "I didn't know she was that good of an actor."

"She _does_ have sponsorship deals" he reminded her. "And she hates the product that sponsors her." He thought about it a bit more. "Or at least the cereal that does. I'm actually not sure if she has more than that." He paused to consider things a bit more. "Actually I think she's just disappointed that Pumpkin Pete's isn't exactly a healthy option as far as cereal goes."

"So she doesn't hate them?" Coco asked a little confused.

"I don't think so, now that I think about it, I think she just wishes they were healthier," Jaune admitted as he scratched his head. "Hate is just a really easy word to throw around…"

**"Sad to hear," the brunette sighed, "everyone needs a partner at Beacon to watch their back. A team is like a family, or it should be. Have to feel sorry for all of them."**

**"Yeah… I've been trying to help where I can, but it's been like swimming up a river." Not to mention he'd sort of made things worse by giving Pyrrha an easy out, and that his efforts to help Velvet had apparently been misconstrued as stalking.**

**"Well that's why I wanted to talk with you actually," Coco grinned, her teeth flashing in the low light. Why hadn't he turned the lights on again? "You see, no one wants to see a bunch of first years struggling like that, least of all me. So I know a way to fix it."**

"Nice try Miss Adel." Ozpin chuckled as Coco blushed at how blatant her alternate self was being.

**"You do?" Had anyone else suggested as such then he might have doubted them, but this was Velvet's old partner, who definitely knew how the girl ticked. If he had her help, maybe she could talk to the Faunus girl and convince her to give Pyrrha a chance. The two of them would surely get on if they had the chance, and with how bubbly Nora was he could imagine her bridging the gap between the two pairs.**

**It would be perfect.**

**"Put Velvet back on our team, and give them a new person."**

**Or it could be shit.**

The two first-year teams laughed at seeing Jaune's expression shift from hopeful to disappointed "His face just screams 'Why'd I even think this person would have good advice'" Yang chortled as she wiped at her eyes.

**"Ah…" he said emptily as he looked about his room. For anything that could give him the answer he needed, or just distract him. Even then, however, he could feel her piercing gaze as it bored into him.**

**"A team is a family," she continued as she stood up, pacing before him. "They start as strangers yet become so much more. Closer than friends, closer than blood. It's not unusual for teams to stay together for the rest of their lives!" Her arms slammed down on the armrest either side of him, pinning him into his seat as she leaned closer. Her face hovered but a few inches from his, so close that he could see her narrowed eyes even through her black lenses. "Except for **_**ours**_**… Our team was broken apart, our teammate – **_**my**_** friend – stolen from me, from **_**us!**_** Tell me, Professor, how is that fair?"**

"You should be thankful that you can still see her," Glynda stated in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Did…you lose someone Professor Goodwitch?" Weiss asked nervously hearing a spike of anger in the teacher's tone.

Glynda took a calming breath "Yes I did." She answered simply "I'd rather not talk about it right now."

Coco gulped "Ah…" she found herself with little to say as Glynda focused on her. "Shutting up now."

**"It's not," he tried only to be interrupted as a wicked smile stole across her lips.**

**"Exactly. It's not fair to us, it's not fair to those new guys – cuz rest assured, it isn't me telling Vel to act that way. She's just lashing out, as angry as we are."**

**"I can understand that-"**

**"Good, then you realize this will be best for both Vel and the other team, right? There are hundreds of talented people who dream of a position in Beacon, they can have a chance to forge their own family here. Without being brought down by someone who isn't willing to try."**

"For a second-year student, she does make a compelling argument," Ozpin noted simply. "A rookie teacher might give in to her reasonings."

**"It's not that simple!" The words burst out of him in a rush, and he knew they weren't the ones she wanted, even before her entire body shook. A breath of air escaped her in a rush, wafting across his face as she visibly tried to calm herself.**

**"Simplify it," she said softly, fingers tightening on the armrest.**

**Simplify it, how could he? This wasn't a matter he could control in any way, he was just the support teacher – or the Counsellor… the distinction between his job rules kept getting blurrier as he continued. Now he was apparently an aide to a criminal as well, and complicit in whatever crimes she was about to commit.**

**And now he was being harassed by a student? She might have been older than him, but she should still know better than to threaten a Professor.**

"Hm…" Ruby hummed as she stared at Jaune. "You almost looked cool for a moment.

"Hey!" Jaune complained as the others laughed at the two.

**"No," he said simply – confidently. Even as rage and fear bubbled within him in equal measure. Getting angry… how long had it been since he was really, genuinely angry? How long since he honestly had the **_**right**_** to be angry? He'd done so many things wrong, lied to so many people. But this time… this time, he was in the right.**

**And he wasn't going to let some cocky brat stop him!**

**Even if said cocky brat was honestly older than him, and could probably kill him in fifty different ways in as many seconds.**

Blake huffed in amusement. "He seems to grow a backbone at the oddest of times." She noted.

"Don't be mean." Yang chided her simply as she watched the events of the story with a smile on her face.

**"I don't think you have any right to try telling me what **_**I**_** have to do Miss Adel," he didn't try to stand up, more afraid that he'd be unable to break past her than anything else. But even the act of looking unconcerned and unworried at her looming over him would be victory enough. "Miss Scarlatina has been placed where she has because of what happened to her. Although it's a shame to break up a team, it would be a bigger one to have to bury her."**

**"We could have looked after her," Coco snarled, her cheeks turning red from sheer frustrated rage, "we always have – and always would."**

**"She barely handled a single Ursa, and even then she hurt herself doing it. She isn't good enough to be in the higher years, and yes I know that's not her fault," he added as she made to open her mouth. "But that doesn't change how things worked out. It's not fair, but that's life – get used to it."**

"Which brings up a critical flaw in Miss Scarlatina's method of combat," Glynda muttered staring the bunny down. "I understand your weapon is your trump card, but the fact that you do not have an alternate weapon to use outside of it is foolish." She narrowed her eyes. "Yes, you have some proficiency in hand to hand combat, but unlike Miss Xiao-Long who is similar in that regard, you do not have a means of protecting the limbs you prefer to use in such cases."

**"She's miserable on that team; don't you give a damn about what's best for her – or even them?" Her breathing came out heavily, the restrained anger clear on her face. Didn't he care about that team, about Team Raven? He did… in more ways than he probably should. Pyrrha was the first student he counseled. Ren was one of the few guys he talked to, Nora had always been friendly, and Velvet was his own personal mission.**

**"She's miserable," he said slowly – knowing the words would not be received well – "because she's **_**determined**_** to be miserable. If Miss Scarlatina wants to excel as a Huntress, as a person, then she needs to grow up, and stop acting like a spoiled child. A lesson you could no doubt learn yourself."**

"I would have worded it differently." Ozpin pointed out as he glanced at Jaune. "But sometimes being blunt is more effective."

**Definitely, the wrong words, if the way her eyes flashed were any indication. She shivered, his couch straining under the pressure she exerted on it.**

**"You…" she whispered as she tried, and apparently failed to find her patience, "you **_**bastard!**_**" Her hands were on his chest in an instant, gripping his collar and pulling it forward as she slammed him back into the couch. A sense of vertigo overwhelmed him as it toppled backward, bringing her with it. His back slammed into the hard floor, his aura flaring to prevent any damage as his skull cracked against the wood.**

**"Are you quite finished, Miss Adel?" He asked with more confidence than he truly felt, as she knelt on top of him, one arm gripped in his collar and pushing him down – the other resting by his head on her elbow.**

"Nice poker face Jaune." Ren complimented as he smiled at his leader.

"Thanks…I think?"

**"Finished?" She hissed, "Professor, I'm just getting **_**started.**_**"**

**"Well you can **_**end**_** it right here then," a different voice practically **_**seethed**_** from the doorway. Blue eyes widened as they sketched to the side, just in time to see Glynda Goodwitch's furious face. Standing beside her was the Headmaster himself, sipping from his mug. The thumbs-up the man gave him did little to detract from the terror he felt.**

**"Fuck me…" Coco whispered from atop him, even as she released her grip on his coat.**

"Wrong choice of words Coco." Velvet sighed as realization struck the fashionista.

"Oh gods…" she whispered in a horrified voice.

"You're lucky we know the full situation, Miss Adel." Glynda pointed out as she raised a single perfectly maintained eyebrow.

**"It looks like you were getting right on that Miss Adel," the Headmaster said calmly, even as the two teens realized the position they were in. Jaune felt the overwhelming desire to hide his face behind one hand and groan – even as the girl above him rolled off him, coming to her knees by his head.**

**"It's not what it looks like."**

**"Oh, I've heard that before," the Headmaster unhelpfully chuckled.**

**"Let me guess," Glynda said, ironically echoing the same words Jaune had used to Yang and Blake only a week earlier, "you **_**fell**_**."**

**"Y-yes!" Coco cried as she waved her arms. "I just fell, we weren't doing that!"**

Coco grumbled as the first years all laughed at her. "Traitors." She hissed

**"We'll discuss this in the Headmaster's office I think," the blonde woman cracked her crop down into her hand, making them both flinch. Coco climbed to her feet slowly, making sure to shoot him an angry glance as she did so. As though it were somehow his fault!**

**At least now he could finally get some rest without angry, scary, or murderous (delete as applicable) women pushing him around.**

**"You're coming as well **_**Jaune,**_**" the blonde said as she snatched his arm.**

_**Fuck my life…**_

"Nice knowing you Jaune." Ruby patted his arm consolingly.

"I'm not dead…" Jaune pointed out as he frowned at the little reaper.

**"So you were discussing the recent Forever Fall mission with Mr. Arc, when you **_**tripped**_** over his rug," Glynda recounted, the tone of her voice saying just what she felt of the excuse Coco had come up with. "You then preceded to try and steady yourself, but fell on Mr. Arc, pushing him and the couch backward?"**

**"Yes," the brunette teen argued, her hands pressing down on the Headmaster's desk, "Why else would the entire seat be toppled over?"**

**Jaune sighed as he looked about the room, wondering why both Oobleck and Peter were also present, and why they looked so invested in the discussion. Glynda he could understand, she was a stickler for the rules and was no doubt horrified at the idea of a Professor taking advantage of a student. Ozpin? Involved more because he was expected to be than any real concern, Jaune imagined.**

"I find that statement incredibly unfair Mr. Arc." Said headmaster mentioned without a hint of anger in his tone.

"Ah…sorry sir." Jaune apologized on reflex.

**It felt strangely apt to be sat next to Coco in front of the desk, like a naughty child before their parents.**

**"Does this story correlate with yours, Professor Arc?" The Headmaster asked as he sipped from his mug, a brief flash of some indescribable pleasure coming across his face. Jaune longed for the same. From the corner of his eye, he felt the girl's brown eyes bore into him once more – and even if that wasn't hint enough he could feel her heel pressing into the top of his foot.**

**"We had a disagreement, but otherwise the story is true," he said with a sigh, "there were no illicit activities or anything. We were discussing Miss Scarlatina's placement with her new team."**

"Oof, thrown under the bus." Coco feigned shock as she shot a playful glare at Jaune.

"You prevented him from drowning his worries in liquor." Yang pointed out. "I think that's fair."

"Yang, he's not Uncle Qrow."

**"**_**Again**_**?" Glynda sighed, the hostility fading from her – though now she seemed more exasperated than anything else. "Miss Adel I know I said I was tired of your **_**weekly**_** visits, but the matter has already been established. I don't need you harassing my colleagues over the matter."**

**"It wasn't anything like that," Jaune defended the girl, even as she pinched his leg painfully, "Miss Adel was actually looking to thank me for helping her old teammate out in Forever Fall. Right?"**

**"Yeah," Coco lied casually, "we were just chatting when I tripped."**

"I see her efforts are a weekly thing," Glynda grumbled, thankful that no one actually tried to approach her so often for things she had no say in.

**"Mr. Arc, Miss Adel," the Headmaster said as he placed his mug down, "you need not fear if you **_**do**_** have any kind of sexual encounter, it's perfectly allow-" His words were cut off as Glynda's wooden clipboard slammed down on his fingers. The man shivering, but showing remarkable self-control in not shouting out or giving off any indication of the pain he must have felt. "Never mind."**

**"Just a happy accident then," Peter guffawed, looking far more pleased with himself than he really needed to be. "No need for so much drama, and of course – my good lad Jaune hasn't so much as touched a student, eh lad? Definitely not shagged one, right?"**

**"Of course not," Jaune said, honestly feeling a little disappointed that such a comment was actually easy to believe. He really needed to get better at talking to women…**

"Do I even want to know what's going on?" Ozpin questioned curiously.

"You, professor Port and Doctor Oobleck have a running bet about Jaune's love life," Yang explained without much fanfare. "I think Professor Ozpin bet that Jaune would lay with a student, Professor Port bet that he wouldn't and I don't know how Doctor Oobleck's bet went."

**"Capital! What's say we let bygones be bygones then," Peter laughed, "unless Miss Adel has anything to add?"**

**"Nothing, sir."**

**"Very well then," Glynda sighed as she pushed her glasses further up her nose, "will you see Miss Adel out Jaune? Then come back through, we need a staff meeting anyway, which is why we came to collect you in the first place."**

**He nodded as he climbed to his feet, Coco quickly doing the same beside him as they practically fled from the room. Once the door closed behind them the brunette leaned back against it, letting out a sigh of relief.**

**"Shit… that was close." Now away from both the fear of their punishment and also the anger coursing through them earlier, she seemed more in control of herself.**

Coco laughed to herself far too used to just barely avoiding true punishment.

**"You're welcome, by the way." She gave him a look from the side of her sunglasses, and he could just about see her roll her eyes at him.**

**"Yeah, yeah – you helped me out. Wouldn't be the first time I've been in trouble with the Big G."**

**"For molesting a Professor?"**

**"Oh piss off," she gave him a dirty look as she glanced left and right down the corridor. "Look, we didn't exactly finish our little discussion. But Velvet isn't going to do well on that team, not at all. It's not me telling her to act out, but she's going to keep doing it."**

"I'm sorry!" Velvet looked close to tears. Quickly the other students hurried to assure her that she wasn't at fault.

**"And I'll keep working to settle her into it," he countered, once again feeling frustration bubble within him. "I'm not going to give up because a student tells me to." Coco spat out the corner of her mouth, the sharp sound startling him.**

**"Then we'll continue being enemies," she flicked some hair over her shoulder as she said it, apparently completely unconcerned at declaring war on a Professor. "That said… I'm not such a bitch that I can't do the right thing every now and then, so I owe you some thanks."**

**"I was in as much trouble as you," he shrugged, "so you don't really need to thank me for that."**

**"Not that." She shook her head, again sighing as though talking to a dim-witted child. "For Forever Fall – for saving my girl's life."**

Yang shot off some cat-calls and wolf-whistles causing Jaune and Coco to turn red in the face. Blake to the relief of the two leaders elbowed her partner in the stomach.

**"Oh…" How had he forgotten about that? Well… possibly because since then he'd already managed to nearly get himself killed via incineration – two near-fatal encounters in a little over 24 hours, he didn't know if he should be proud or concerned.**

**Definitely concerned.**

**"It was my job," he said uneasily. He hadn't really saved her though… Neo had been the one to kill all the Ursa, and Cardin had been the one to carry the Faunus girl to safety. Sure, without his interference she might have died a little sooner since he blocked the first one… but he didn't actually save her life. Just… bought her a few seconds. Enough for someone else to rescue her.**

"That critically low self-esteem will need to be remedied," Ozpin muttered to himself as he glanced at Ruby. "Maybe I should leave it to Miss Rose and his own team?" he mused aloud.

"Did you say something, sir?" Glynda asked having not heard him.

"Just thinking about some things." He waved her off with a simple gesture.

**"Yeah well…" She looked left and right again, before letting out a long sigh. The next thing he knew her hand was in his collar once more, as his head was dragged down. The next; that something soft and warm was pressed to his lips, the faint taste of cherry as heat coursed through him. Something wet and soft probed his lips, teasing them open as his head swam with myriad lights and sensations.**

**"Don't read into it," the girl warned as she harshly shoved him away. His mind struggled to catch up with what had just happened, a jumble of emotions and feelings, and the fleeting memory of what was possibly the most incredible sensation of his life to date.**

_**Holy shit, my first kiss…**_** Taken by someone who didn't even like him… against his will no less…**

**That was **_**epic!**_

Pyrrha pulled Jaune towards her and hissed at Coco.

"Did she just hiss at me?" Coco asked looking at Velvet curiously as she pointed at the champ.

"Ah, haha…" Velvet laughed unsurely.

"Think he'll get the hint yet?" Weiss asked Blake who shook her head.

"I don't think he'd figure it out unless she pinned him down and took him right then and there." The cat Faunus muttered getting a blush out of the heiress.

**"So long as you stick to trying to sort Vel out with Raven we're enemies," Coco continued as she stepped away from him. "So don't go reading into a simple act of gratitude."**

**"Buh?" He said as the girl sashayed away, her hips swaying as heels clicked on the tiled floor.**

_**Come back, we can be friends!**_** His libido called, even as he touched his own lips in shock. Once again, holy shit! There was definitely something to be said for older girls…**

**"Jaune?" Glynda's voice came back through the door.**

"Something you want to share with us Jaune?" Yang teased causing the poor boy to flame up in embarrassment.

**"Sorry, sorry," Jaune laughed nervously as he let himself back inside, closing the door behind him and taking a seat at the desk once more. He fought back the urge to wipe his mouth clean, enjoying the faint taste still there.**

**"Onto business then gentlemen," Ozpin said as he slumped back into his seat, all image of a respectable man gone. "The Vytal Festival is coming… and we're going to be stuck organizing it."**

**"This is a great honor," Glynda pointed out as she nudged the older man, "one that you personally campaigned for." The Headmaster had personally campaigned for something? Something that wasn't coffee or stupidity related? That was new.**

"Even if I do wish for the Vytal festival to be in Vale, it doesn't mean I don't loathe the preparation work involved." Ozpin pointed out as Glynda nodded in agreement. "That aside though, it doesn't seem like I have a very good reputation with Jaune in this world."

"You're uh… eccentric." Jaune admitted causing the headmaster to hum.

"Glynda?" Ozpin questioned his colleague. "Would you agree with that statement?"

"While you are fairly eccentric I do not believe you're nearly as bad as you are portrayed in this world." She explained herself succinctly.

**"I know, I know," the man sighed as he arranged some documents before him, "and I'm pleased we've been allowed to handle it – but the workload is going to be difficult. What's more, we need to work with James." Peter groaned, even as Oobleck adjusted his collar, as near a sign to annoyance as Jaune had ever seen in the man. Whoever this James was, he clearly wasn't on the Christmas lists of many of the staff at Beacon…**

**"Maybe you'll sort things out between you," Glynda suggested before she winced as everyone turned to look at her sarcastically, "I was just trying to look on the bright side."**

"Do you not like General Ironwood?" Weiss questioned worriedly, personally admiring of Ironwood's efforts and mannerisms.

"He is…" Ozpin trailed off not quite sure how to word his answer.

"He doesn't understand subtlety, compromise, or restraint," Glynda answered for him. "And he keeps trying to court me even though I've already turned him down."

"Oh…" Weiss coughed understanding such frustrations.

"He sounds… intense." Yang laughed weakly.

"That's one way of putting it," Ozpin muttered blithely.

**"Yes, well – back to the real world," Ozpin handed out sheets of paper to each of them, "we need to set aside rooms for the new transfer students, who are coming – oh, tomorrow." More groans came from them all, why hadn't Ozpin warned them of this weeks ago? "We also need to update our supplier contracts for food and medical supplies, plenty more mouths to feed. We'll also need dust – in huge quantities too since the Amity Colosseum is going to be using dust-based landscapes. And beyond that, rearranging lesson plans to account for new students, marketing, administration, and infrastructure. Not to mention we need to send our new recruits out on some actual **_**missions**_** before the event even starts."**

"Oh, gods that sounds like so much work." Ruby lamented as she held her head with both hands.

Jaune winced. "That sounds like a headache."

"You have no idea, Mr. Arc," Glynda muttered.

**"A lot then basically?" Jaune said with a sigh, even as the others slumped. Other than Glynda of course, who simply stood at attention beside the Headmaster.**

**"Putting it lightly Mr. Arc, yes. I've already contacted our suppliers over food and amenities and had some of the general staff work out what dorm rooms are still in good condition to be used by transfer students. But I need a volunteer for the lesson plans."**

**"I'll handle that – leave it to me," Oobleck said happily. Ozpin nodded, before flicking to the next sheet of paper.**

**"So… dust then. We'll need someone to liaise directly with the SDC for the quantities we're going to need-"**

"That sounds tiresome," Weiss noted instantly. "Father is at best, a penny-pinching miser in search of any chance for profit."

**"Not me," Oobleck said instantly.**

**"Not," Peter.**

**"Not." Ozpin.**

**"No- **_**damn it**_**," Glynda cursed uncharacteristically. She looked at them all for a second, before her green eyes turned to regard him - hesitating, as though weighing something within her own mind. Until with a great sigh, she spoke. "Not me."**

**"You would leave Mr. Arc to negotiate a contract **_**alone**_** with Miss Schnee?" The Headmaster said with a degree of feigned shock and disappointment. Glynda seemed to hesitate as she looked at him, her face genuinely anguished.**

**"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," she said after a long pause.**

_**Wow... thanks...**_

"Wait… is my Sister the liaison from the SDC?" Weiss questioned incredulously.

"Is that weird?" Ruby questioned curiously.

"Yes, she was removed from the inheritance when she chose to join the military," Weiss explained as the others scrunched up their noses at another of the Schnee patriarch's manner of running the business. "Simply put she has no influence over SDC affairs."

"A point of difference between our world and this one," Ozpin noted simply.

**"Mr. Arc **_**and**_** Miss Goodwitch will liaise with Miss Schnee," Ozpin instructed calmly, "I know you… how should I put this? Have difficulties, with the woman – but do try to restrain yourself, Glynda."**

**"Wait, Weiss Schnee?" Jaune had to ask. He hadn't seen any animosity between Glynda and the girl, and honestly, if he had, he'd be more worried for Weiss. Hell, the girl was pretty much a teacher's pet – always wanted to impress.**

**"Her older sister," Glynda explained with a tight voice. "You'll see," she said ominously as she folded her arms and frowned. If he were a braver man he might have referred to her expression as pouting – but he valued his life more than that.**

"No Miss Schnee I do not have a quarrel with your sister," Glynda assured the girl before any concerns could be raised. "That would be Miss Rose and Miss Xiao-Long's uncle."

"Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked wondering why her uncle would fight with Weiss' sister.

"Those two are near polar opposites when it comes to personalities, of course, they would clash." Ozpin gave his own opinion. "Or find the nearest hotel…" he added so quietly that only Blake and Velvet heard him.

**"Peter," Ozpin continued as though he hadn't seen or heard anything, "if you can handle marketing and promotions that would be appreciated." The larger man nodded, seemingly pleased with his job. "When we get closer to the event we'll look into organizing more things, but these are the immediate concerns."**

**"What about the missions you mentioned?" Jaune asked, not wanting to be surprised with another **_**`tomorrow is Forever Fall`**_** incident.**

**"Those will take place after the school dance," Ozpin said easily, "and don't worry – **_**that**_** is handled by the students, not us. For the missions, there's already a pre-arranged set of tasks available, suited to different levels of ability and specialization. A team could find themselves fighting Grimm or working with the police, but the ranks are always clear."**

"Oh good at least there isn't some asinine method of mission assignments," Weiss muttered.

"I feel like something will go wrong when the missions come around," Ren muttered as Nora nodded happily.

**He nodded his understanding, even as he settled back down into his seat. That didn't sound too bad, the students going on missions would be a nice chance for him to get ahead on studying the classes. So all he had to really do was work with Glynda to secure a contract for more dust for the Academy? That couldn't be too hard really.**

**"If that is all?" The Headmaster said as he rose to his feet, he waited for anyone to speak, before nodding. "Very good. Remember ladies and gentlemen, the Vytal Festival will see people come from all across Remnant. Already they are on their way here, an eclectic lot of hunters, students, fans, and malcontents… even people like James are allowed. We **_**must**_** be prepared."**

**The others nodded, and Jaune did so along with them.**

**Really, what could go wrong?**

Everyone hissed "Ah, Jinx." Ruby muttered whilst nodding her head.

**"Your flight will be ready in seven hours madam," a uniformed man said as he waited at her door. She spared him a brief glance and a nod, before sipping from her flute of champagne. One long leg crossed over the other as she savored the taste of fine wine.**

**How… **_**delightful**_** it would be to see dear Glynda again. And of course another chance to secure a valuable deal for the company, perhaps even see little Weiss in action.**

**She smiled as she lifted up the newspaper she had received from Vale. A few days old now, but the cover no less revealing as she looked at an injured man sat amidst some ambulances, face matted with blood – but blonde hair still vibrant.**

"I feel scared," Jaune noted as he shivered.

Pyrrha pulled him into another hug. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the scary Atlesian." Weiss huffed in annoyance but otherwise didn't comment.

**Of course, it wouldn't do not to personally thank the man who had fought off Roman Torchwick from their latest shipment. And if how little Glynda was hanging off him in that image was any suggestion, it would be all the more exciting.**

**"Jaune Arc," she said softly, sampling the name as she might some fine delicacy. She rolled the words around her mouth as she thought on them, considered their every nuance. Their **_**texture.**_

**It tasted good.**

"Your sister isn't actually like that is she?" Yang asked Weiss who covered her face in shame for her sister's sake.

"Not even close."

"Ah…"

**"We're approaching Vale sir, landing will be in a little over five hours," a woman saluted as she came to attention on the bridge. Ironwood nodded to her, smiling as she marched away to shout orders out over the various pilots and support staff.**

**His gaze came back to the vista before him through the armored glass of his private airship. The Vytal Festival… something didn't sit right with him about the whole thing, and of course, the defense of the various Kingdoms was to be his responsibility.**

**Ozpin might not agree… but he would have to accept it.**

**"Are you looking forward to returning to Vale Penny?" He asked of his weapon, and the girl he also considered his daughter. His crowning achievement as it were, though she shared the name of the scientist who had created her. The Ironwood name came with too many enemies…**

"Oh my god!" Ruby cheered as her eyes lit up. "Penny's the daughter of a general!"

"We'll have to ask her about that the next time we see her," Blake muttered seeing the sparkles around Ruby.

"Like we have a choice." Weiss snorted.

**"Absolutely!" Penny crowed as she leaped on the spot, her eyes shining brightly. "I made friends there, I **_**have**_** to introduce you to Ruby, and Blake! Not to mention Professor Jaune!"**

**His expression sobered. Ah yes, the new addition to Beacon… so close to the Vytal Festival too. Very suspicious… He would need to keep an eye on that one, his background was too convenient. Too neat.**

**"Jaune is my first boyfriend!" Penny continued, even as a loud cracking came from James' hands, which were curled into fists. Nearby a few crew members started to edge away from him, as his eyes practically glowed with poorly restrained murder.**

**Yes… a close eye on this dead man indeed…**

"You're on your own," Pyrrha stated as she sat up straight and leaned a little away from Jaune.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune cried out piteously.

Nora laughed happily as she threw her arms around the two. "Don't worry fearless leader I'm sure Penny will protect you from Iron-daddy!"

Ozpin could barely suppress the bubble of laughter that threatened to come up at James' nickname courtesy of Nora.

**"You have to meet them, they are like awesome," the blonde Faunus laughed to his companion as he egged the other teen on. "Like super-awesome, and this one chick – the black-haired Faunus? Damn, she's amazing – but don't tell her I said that."**

**"Chill man," the blue-haired teen laughed, "I got this."**

Blake hummed "Sun and his partner I guess."

"Must be from Haven then," Yang noted recalling that Sun mentioned he was from Haven academy despite being from the kingdom of Vacuo.

"The students from Haven and Atlas arrive next week don't they Headmaster?" Glynda questioned.

"Yes, though I wish they would've just shown up with the Shade students," Ozpin grumbled. "It makes things so much harder when they're spread out like this."

"At least Haven and Atlas students are showing up at the same time," Weiss muttered hearing the two converse.

**"Another drink?" The barman said with a sigh, reaching for the vodka and ice with a thinly veiled expression of defeat. "So you looking forward to the Vytal Festival?"**

**"That thing," the black-haired man at the bar laughed, "I suppose I'll check it out."**

**There was a Queen to hunt after all, and his little nieces to keep an eye on. All of Yang and Ruby's recent messages had been about some hotshot new Professor. One who was `a prize to be won` as Yang put it... and somehow also the subject of Ruby's first crush.**

**"Hey careful with that," the barman said as the glass in Qrow's hand shattered into a million pieces.**

"Good luck Jaune." Ruby and Yang laughed good-naturedly as the blonde brawler slapped his back. "Uncle Qrow is super strong.

"Thanks, that really makes me more comfortable." Jaune rolled his eyes as his teammates offered to help him out. "Luckily I don't think the Qrow in our world will be trying to kill me."

"Yet." Nora reminded him. "Who knows maybe you manage to seduce one of the sisters!"

"Uh…" Jaune couldn't respond as Ruby simply blushed and fiddled with her hood while Yang just waved the whole thing off.

**"Neo! I need him able to fight properly," a certain orange-haired man shouted as he rummaged around in a crate of dust. "How likely is it you can have him capable of holding his own within a few weeks? And I'm talking proper combat here, none of that Grimm business."**

**The mute girl pondered for a second, eyes aimed at the ceiling – before she held out one hand in a thumbs down motion. Roman glanced at it for a second before he sighed and went back to checking the dust.**

**"Then just keep kicking the crap out of him until he gets better," the criminal instructed, "if you need to just push him to the edge of death. Nothing like a bit of self-preservation to make the training really stick."**

**Neo clapped her hands excitedly, even as her smirk took on a deadly edge.**

"And that marks the more frequent appearance of Neo in our lives huh?" Pyrrha huffed.

"So this Neo is Roman's partner in crime?" Ozpin questioned as he committed the girl's appearance to memory.

"Yeah, pretty bullshit semblance too," Coco muttered. "She has some sort of teleportation or hard light illusion type semblance"

"Hm…"

**"We're good to go, boss," Mercury reported as he hefted up a set of suitcases, their own – and of course, hers. "You sure you want to go ahead with this? We'll be out of the loop with what's going on in Vale."**

**"Do you doubt me, dear Mercury?" She laughed, smiling to herself as he flinched at his mistake. The young man waved his hands apologetically, even as one of the cases fell heavily on his foot.**

**"No, no – of course not Boss."**

**"Good," she laughed softly – the sound cruel even to her. "And dear Mercury, do remember – it's not boss or Cinder. Call me Miss Fall."**

"Oh gods, we're calling her a teacher!" Ruby cried as she covered her eyes. "Make the evil go away!"

"And that would be Cinder Fall," Weiss noted for Ozpin's confirmation.

"Hm…that dress looks familiar does it not Glynda?" he recalled the report when they first invited Ruby into Beacon.

"Yes, I do believe it does."

"They should be making an appearance within Beacon at the same time as the Haven students," Jaune recalled as he sighed. "I honestly just can't fathom how someone turns out like that."

"You will find Mr. Arc that it is actually quite easy." Ozpin lamented as he folded his arms. "That aside it would seem one of those…side stories is beginning."

**It had seemed like a normal day to him. At least, as normal as one could when you worked at Beacon Academy. The breakfast table hadn't exploded, there'd been no food fights. Hell, even the students seemed unusually well behaved.**

**Which should have been his first warning really.**

**And yet… nothing had gone wrong. Not until he'd turned up to a summons at the Headmaster's office, and come across Ozpin.**

"**Sir… what?" Jaune managed to say, unsure what he was seeing.**

**"Yo dawg," Ozpin said neutrally, the bored tone of his voice completely at odds with not only the words he was saying – but the gold chain hanging around his neck. The man coughed loudly, reaching down to pick up a set of papers, "I see from da look on your face dat you're confused my man," the Headmaster read calmly.**

Ozpin's glasses tilted slightly as he tried to understand what exactly he was seeing. "What?" he asked almost fearful of the answer he would receive.

That seemed to break the dam as the students all began laughing as Yang and Coco fell out of their seats and began rolling on the floor.

**"A little…" Jaune didn't feel at all stupid admitting. He glanced to the left, only to see Peter shrug his shoulders in confusion. "Sir, have you been mixing coffee brands again?"**

**"Don't be hatin'," the grown man defended, "anywayz I be callin' this meeting to address the most serious of matterz."**

**"Ozpin, please speak normally…" Glynda sighed as she massaged her temples.**

"I almost don't want to know how this came to be." Glynda sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to stave off the headache.

**"Alright fine," the Headmaster said as he threw a set of documents towards each of them. Jaune caught them easily, looking down at the cover letter. It was a newspaper clipping?**

**"Studies show that teachers are falling behind the culture of students, leading to misunderstandings and falling figures." Glynda read for all of them, before flicking through a few pages. "This is about how teachers are out of touch and seem too old for students to respect?"**

**"Indeed," Ozpin nodded, "a grave concern. If the students are unwilling to learn from us and do not respect us – then how can we impart our knowledge to them?" The man rose to his feet as he walked to the window of his office –staring out over the vista of Beacon Academy. "In any other school it would mean little more than falling grades, but here – every student we fail to teach to the best of our ability could be lives lost. It is a grave matter."**

**Jaune nodded slowly, looking through the study himself. True it had been done on more typical schools, but there was no arguing with the Headmaster's point. It wouldn't only be the student themselves who might die, but their team… and whatever innocents they died trying to protect.**

"Absurdity aside that is a concern if Hunters and Huntresses in training don't respect the teachers trying to teach them," Weiss muttered.

"Yeah as times change views change if the students just don't consider the same things the teachers do things won't go well," Blake added with a put upon sigh.

**"What can we do though?" Oobleck asked, "other than fire ourselves and hire new teachers – we **_**are**_** the most experienced at exterminating Grimm. I would fear leaving the students with those less capable."**

**"Exactly," Ozpin agreed, "we cannot trust the job to anyone else – and so we must become more modern to better tune in to our students. We must," he turned to them, one hand held out in a fist before him, "become hip!"**

**"Hip?" Glynda repeated, voice filled with scorn.**

**"Indeed, I have taken the liberty of outsourcing the issue – and the group has come up with a list of suggestions, all within those documents."**

**"They want me to rap my lessons?" Oobleck commented as he flipped through them. "Well, I suppose I could try."**

"I dread to imagine Bart singing let alone rapping a lesson." Ozpin sighed tiredly as he requested a refill of coffee.

**"This proposed outfit makes me look like a slutty schoolgirl!" Glynda Goodwitch snarled as she tore it to pieces. The remainder of them paused before the sound of frantic paper shuffling filled the room. Jaune groaned as the page he was just about to get to telekinetically crumpled itself into a ball – before tearing itself to pieces.**

_**Noooo…**_

**"Now, now Glynda. We must keep an open mind… rest assured these people came highly recommended."**

**"I don't like this suggestion that I need to wear a backward baseball cap and pull my trousers up to my nipples," Jaune said as he leafed through the rest of the ideas. "Also, what's baseball?"**

**"Some hip new indie sport I'm sure," the Headmaster pondered, one hand on his chin. "Either way, don't hatin' on dese new decrees yo."**

Unbidden images of Glynda in slutty school wear appeared in the minds of the men in the room. Just as suddenly each of them had a sizable lump on their heads as Glynda screamed at them.

**"Sir, with all due respect – which is **_**none**_** by the way – I am not going through with any of this." Glynda threw down the pages as she finished speaking, stepping on them a moment later for good measure. Jaune nodded his agreement, though he was less rebellious in doing so.**

**Ozpin was still his boss after all.**

**"Shizzle my uhh..." here the man paused, as he flicked through his notes, "nizzle? What's a nizzle? Ahem, shizzle my nizzle Glyzzle…"**

**"What did you just call me…?"**

The teams couldn't help it as they devolved into another fit of giggles while Glynda looked like she was about to explode in anger as she glared at her boss.

**"Shouldn't we help?" Jaune asked nervously as he strained his eyes against the sun, Oobleck and Peter stood beside him, while arranged around them was most of the student body – all staring up at the tallest spire of Beacon.**

**"I think she's got it in hand," Oobleck dismissed.**

**"I was talking more about helping Ozpin," Jaune sighed as he watched the enraged Deputy telekinetically hold the Headmaster of Beacon out over the edge. He could faintly hear the unruffled man say something about hating.**

**How did he manage to look so nonchalantly while being held upside down over a fatal drop? Damn, but the man looked like his biggest inconvenience was that he couldn't drink his coffee properly.**

**"Do it again," Glynda shouted angrily, **_**her**_** voice more than audible to them all. "Call me Glyzzle Goodwizzle one more time, see what happens!"**

"Don't you dare Ozpin." She hissed dangerously as she pulled out her weapon.

Luckily for everyone, present Ozpin raised his hands in surrender. "That bit of oddity aside I did enjoy this." He focused instead on their host who was silently working on other things. "May I stay a bit longer?"

"I see no problems with that."


End file.
